English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 29/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’
Mark 03/01-12./"Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there
who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on
the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the
withered hand, ‘Come forward.’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or
to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. He
looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and
said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was
restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians
against him, how to destroy him. Jesus departed with his disciples to the lake,
and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing,
they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the
Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a
boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for
he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.
Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted,
‘You are the Son of God!’ But he sternly ordered them not to make him known."
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 28-29/2025
Hezbollah has become like a chameleon, changing colors every day: fear,
cowardice, and defeat/Elias Bejjani/March 28/2025
Nawaf Salam: A Self-Appointed Spokesperson Who Doesn't Represent All
Lebanese/Elias Bejjani/March 27/2025
The Fundamental Differences Between the Right and the Left in Culture, Faith,
Order, Morality, and Family/Elias Bejjani/March 26/2025
A Dysfunction at the Level of the Ruling Troika/Etienne Sakr – Abu Arz/March
28/2025
Aoun urges Lebanon's friends to act quickly after Israeli escalation
Katz: For any attempt to harm Galilee, the roofs of homes in Dahieh will shake
Israeli strike targets Dahieh for first time since war
How will latest Israel-Lebanon escalation affect the tenuous ceasefire?
Macron blasts Israel strikes on Beirut after Paris talks with Aoun
Israel Intensifies Attacks against Hezbollah Field Commanders in Lebanon
Israel strikes Beirut for the first time since a ceasefire ended the latest
Israel-Hezbollah war
Ortagus says ceasefire violation came from Lebanon, Israel had right to respond
US says Lebanon must disarm Hezbollah as per 'agreement'
Hezbollah ‘Can’t Be Allowed to Keep Lebanon Captive,’ Says US as it Slaps it
with New Sanctions
Israel Strikes Beirut Suburbs for 1st Time Since Truce, Says Will Hit 'Anywhere'
to Enforce it
Israel Pounds South Lebanon After Intercepting Rockets, Hezbollah Denies
Involvement
Lebanon Will Extend Army’s Control over Whole Country, Aoun Says as he Meets
Macron
Lebanese President: Hezbollah Not Responsible for Rocket Attacks on Israel
US sanctions 'evasion network' supporting 'Hezbollah finance operations'
Lebanese Army says identified site of rocket launch towards Israel
Lebanon and Syria sign agreement on border demarcation and easing tensions
Netanyahu: We will attack any place in Lebanon that poses a threat to Israel
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 28-29/2025
Trump threatens Iran with "bad things" if nuclear deal not reached
Syrian President: We Face Major Security Challenges on Our Southern Border
Iran Officially Responds to Trump's Message via Oman
Iran Leaves Door Open for 'Indirect' Talks with Washington
Houthi Media: 40 US Airstrikes, the Most in a Single Night Since the Beginning
of the Escalation
Suspected US strikes pummel Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen
Oman thwarts smuggling of drones and cash across border with Yemen
Syrians Left in the Dark as the Interim Government Struggles to Restore
Electricity
Hamas says Gaza truce talks with mediators stepping up
Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat : Hamas Executes ‘Spies’ after Leaders Get
Assassinated
The Sudanese Army Declares "Complete Control" of Khartoum
UN chief calls for action over ‘perfect storm’ engulfing South Sudan
Chair of Sudan’s transitional council hold talks with Saudi Crown Prince in
Makkah
Rubio: US 'Concerned' About 'Instability' in Turkey
Turkish Companies ‘Paying the Bill’ as Political Crisis Roils Economy
The United States needs Greenland for "world peace"
Buckingham Palace: King Charles Suffering Side Effects After Medical Treatment
US Senator Sanders Seeks Senate Vote to Block Arms Sales to Israel
AMCD Condemns the Massacres of innocent Alawite civilians and other Minorities
in Syria
Israeli actions in Gaza bear hallmarks of atrocities, UN agency says
Putin suggests putting Ukraine under UN-sponsored external governance, boasts
battlefield gains
Israel flouting international law with forced evacuations in Gaza, UN says
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on March 28-29/2025
The Alien Enemies Act, 'Public Safety,' the Separation of Powers, and
That Little Word 'Or'/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute./March 28/2025
Is Mark Carney 'Canada first' or net zero first/Gina Pappano/Special to
Financial Post/March 28, 2025
China Is Taking War to Earth Orbits: A 'Space Pearl Harbor' Is on the Way/Gordon
G. Chang/ Gatestone Institute./March 28, 2025
Should The New Syrian Government's Celebration Of October 7 – With Calls For
Jihad, Massive Suicide Attacks And Blood And Limbs In The Streets – Prompt The
World To Reexamine This New Regime?/ Steven Stalinsky, Ph.D/Syria | MEMRI Daily
Brief No. 747/March 28, 2025
Trump-Musk: Revolutionary Method, Restoration Plan/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/March
28/2025
Ocalan… A Farewell to Arms/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Question: “What does it mean that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for
the Sabbath?/GotQuestions.org//March 28/2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 28-29/2025
Hezbollah has become like a chameleon, changing colors every day: fear,
cowardice, and defeat
Elias Bejjani/March 28/2025
Hezbollah is cowardly, impotent, and hypocritical because it launches rockets
directly or through its terrorist thugs, then denounces and denies
responsibility. Expired.
Nawaf Salam: A Self-Appointed Spokesperson Who Doesn't Represent All Lebanese
Elias Bejjani/March 27/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141623/
There's a Lebanese saying: "We brought the bald man to cheer us up, but he
revealed his baldness and scared us." This perfectly illustrates the actions of
Nawaf Salam, who once again insists on making divisive statements detached from
reality, falsely believing himself to be the legitimate and sole representative
of the Lebanese people.
In a statement reeking of authoritarianism and exclusion, Salam declared
yesterday: "Normalization with Israel is rejected by all Lebanese."
The fundamental question here is: who authorized him to speak for all Lebanese?
What right does he have to appropriate the voice of the Lebanese people and
impose his opinion on them without any legal or popular mandate?
His words are not simply a personal opinion; they are a blatant
misrepresentation of the will of the majority of Lebanese. We are weary of wars
and unjustified hostility and yearn for peace and reconciliation with the State
of Israel and all nations. We want an end to the absurd situation imposed by the
Iranian-backed, fundamentalist, and terrorist Hezbollah through force of arms
and all forms of criminal oppression.
We ask loudly: who gave him the authority to assert that all of Lebanon rejects
peace? Did he conduct a public opinion poll? Has he listened to the voices of
the Lebanese people oppressed under the dominance of illegal weapons, those who
long to escape the forced isolation imposed upon them by the deceptive and
hypocritical doctrine of a hollow resistance? Or does he still believe that
Lebanon is captive to the outdated rhetoric of Nasserist and Muslim Brotherhood
Arabism, which has brought nothing but defeats and collapses to the region?
Nawaf Salam's history is evident to anyone familiar with him. He has never truly
aligned himself with a genuine Lebanese identity. Instead, he has consistently
and publicly been part of Arabist and fundamentalist agendas allied with both
Sunni and Shiite political Islam. This individual has never strayed from the
ideology of the radical left and pan-Arabist Muslim Brotherhood concepts. He was
a follower of the Palestinian Fatah organization, closely associated with Yasser
Arafat, and even wrote speeches for him. Furthermore, his wife, a journalist,
shares the same destructive ideological leanings.
Today, despite the significant shifts in the region, Salam remains trapped in
the mindset, concepts, and culture of the 1960s. He refuses to acknowledge that
times have changed and that the Lebanese people desire a future free from the
wars and destruction of political Islam. He stubbornly clings to empty slogans
that have mired Lebanon in successive crises, despite the clear realities: there
is no fundamental issue between Lebanon and Israel, only minor border disputes
that can be resolved diplomatically. This is a fact understood by the majority
of Lebanese who aspire to peace and stability, not to bombastic rhetoric, blind
hostility, and futile wars.
More concerning than Salam's arrogant pronouncements is the composition of his
ineffective government, which includes figures as exclusionary and
intellectually barren as he is. His deputy, Tariq Mitri, is merely a reflection
of him. Moreover, his cabinet is filled with ministers aligned with Hezbollah
and the Amal Movement, making it a government subservient to the very system
that has devastated Lebanon for decades. It is crucial to ask how such a
government can claim to represent the Lebanese people when it only serves the
interests of Hezbollah's mini-state and its allies.
Ultimately, Nawaf Salam does not represent the Lebanese people. He represents
only himself and his ossified Nasserist and Muslim Brotherhood ideology. His
condescending and misleading statements are simply a parrot-like repetition of
outdated slogans.
It is disheartening that the pan-Arabist, Nasserist Salam suffers from a
complete disconnect from reality. He is unable to grasp that the Middle East is
moving towards peace and openness, and that outdated hostile and pan-Arabist
mentalities no longer have a place in this era.
Therefore, if Salam is incapable of adapting to this new phase – and he clearly
is – he should resign and step aside. He must cease imposing his leftist and
fundamentalist illusions on the people of Lebanon.
The Lebanese people are no longer willing to pay the price for his blind hatred.
Consequently, they will not allow him or anyone else to falsely claim to speak
on their behalf. This is an era of peace, and those who fail to understand this
belong in the dustbin of history.
The Fundamental Differences Between the Right and the Left in Culture, Faith,
Order, Morality, and Family
Elias Bejjani/March 26/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141592/
The divide between the right and the
left is not merely a political disagreement; it is a clash of values that
determines the future of our societies. While the right is rooted in faith,
order, morality, respect for the family, and adherence to stable principles, the
left moves in the opposite direction—undermining traditions, rejecting national
identity, and dismantling societal structures under the guise of “progress.” But
in reality, what they promote is chaos, moral decay, and the destruction of
fundamental human values.
1. Culture and Faith
The right upholds faith as the foundation of civilization, recognizing its role
in shaping moral and social values. In contrast, the left has historically waged
war against religion—from the French Revolution to communist regimes that
persecuted believers, destroyed churches, and sought to eradicate faith from
public life. Today, the left continues this war by silencing religious voices,
forcing secularism upon society, and promoting ideologies that contradict divine
and natural law. It is no coincidence that, in the Bible, on the Day of
Judgment, the righteous are placed on the right while the wicked are cast to the
left (Matthew 25:31-46).
2. Order, Law, and Stability
The right respects law and order, believing in strong national institutions that
ensure security and prosperity. Meanwhile, the left thrives on chaos and
rebellion, constantly seeking to overthrow established systems. From the
Bolshevik Revolution to the so-called “Arab Spring,” leftist movements have
spread anarchy, dismantled nations, and paved the way for terrorism. They claim
to champion democracy but only as a tool to seize power—once in control, they
attempt to reshape the system to serve their destructive agenda.
3. Morality and Society
The right believes that morality is essential for a healthy society. The left,
on the other hand, seeks to redefine moral principles, pushing radical
ideologies under the pretense of “individual rights.” They promote abortion as
“freedom,” normalize promiscuity, and dismantle social boundaries, leading to
the erosion of traditional values. Worst of all, they actively push LGBTQ+
ideologies onto societies, not as private choices but as enforced norms,
compelling even those with religious objections to comply.
4. The Family Unit
A strong family is the foundation of a stable society. The right supports
policies that strengthen family bonds, encourage marriage, and protect children
from harmful influences. The left, however, wages a relentless war against the
family, promoting no-fault divorce, glorifying single parenthood, and
encouraging alternative lifestyles that defy biological and natural realities.
By pushing gender confusion, indoctrinating children, and erasing traditional
family roles, they seek to dismantle the most fundamental human institution.
5. Respect for International Order
The right upholds national sovereignty and respects international law, while the
left has a history of supporting violent uprisings and radical movements that
destabilize nations. From Marxist guerillas in Latin America to Islamist terror
groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis, the left consistently aligns itself with
forces that oppose stability, democracy, and peace. Under the pretext of “human
rights,” they provide political cover for rogue regimes like Iran while
undermining the security of Western and allied nations.
6. The Convergence of Destructive and Terrorist Goals Between the Left and
Political Islam
The most dangerous link between the left and political Islam—both Shiite and
Sunni—is their shared hostility toward Western values and independent national
identities. While the left claims to be secular, it consistently aligns itself
with radical Islamist groups whenever it serves their agenda of destabilizing
nations and weakening societies. In Gaza, leftists defend Hamas despite its
extremist ideology. In Lebanon, they ally with Hezbollah, ignoring its terrorism
and illegal weapons. In Syria and Iraq, they have backed Iran-aligned regimes
under the guise of “anti-imperialism.” Meanwhile, in Africa, they collaborate
with Islamist terror groups to advance their political interests. This alliance
is not coincidental—it is a deliberate strategy where forces of chaos and
extremism unite to undermine global stability.
Conclusion
The left is not a force of progress but a force of destruction. It aims to
dismantle faith, family, morality, and order—replacing them with moral
relativism, lawlessness, and cultural decay. The battle today is not merely
political; it is a fight between good and evil, between builders and destroyers,
between those who defend divine and natural law and those who seek to erase
them. And as Scripture warns, in the end, the wicked will be cast to the left,
while the righteous will stand victorious on the right.
A Dysfunction at
the Level of the Ruling Troika
Etienne Sakr – Abu Arz/March 28/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141688/
Following Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri’s assumption of responsibility for
negotiations concerning the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel,
culminating in his signing on behalf of the state, he subsequently reneged on
his commitment. His justification centered on the assertion that Resolution 1701
does not mandate the disarmament of militias north of the Litani River—a
position that effectively secures the armed capabilities of his faction in
partnership with Hezbollah. However, this weaponry is not intended for
confronting Israel but rather for exerting internal influence against other
sects. This shift has transformed him from the role of a parliamentary speaker
into that of the leader of a militia known as the Amal Movement.
During the Lebanese President’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Berri reiterated his
refusal to relinquish his arms, declaring: “We will not trade reconstruction for
disarmament.” This stance stands in direct contradiction to both the President’s
oath of office and the Prime Minister’s ministerial statement. Consequently, the
question arises: where is the coordination between the three presidencies?
In what appears to be an attempt to divert public attention away from pressing
livelihood concerns and the nation’s urgent priorities—security, sovereignty,
and stability—Berri recently convened joint parliamentary committees to
deliberate on non-urgent issues such as the establishment of a Senate and the
abolition of political sectarianism.
As for the Prime Minister, while outwardly projecting an image of cooperation
with the President, he is reportedly engaged in covert efforts to undermine him
through the appointment of a team affiliated with radical leftist movements and
suspicious ideologies that contradict the President’s vision and Lebanon’s
supreme interests.
The evident lack of coordination between the three leaders is not merely
attributable to personal whims but is a direct consequence of the Taif
Constitution, which, in our view, has transformed the state into a disfigured
entity characterized by three competing heads clashing over authority.
Since its inception in 1989, we in the Guardians of the Cedars Party have
consistently rejected this constitution and continue to demand its amendment to
restore the necessary powers to the President of the Republic. This is essential
to ensure proper governance and eliminate the dangerous dysfunction that hinders
the country’s progress and prosperity.
At your service beloved Lebanon
(Free Translation by Elias Bejjani)
Aoun urges
Lebanon's friends to act quickly after Israeli escalation
Associated Press/March 28/2025
President Joseph Aoun said Friday that he condemns the Israeli airstrike on
Beirut’s southern suburbs and any attempt to “bring back the circle of violence”
to the country. Speaking during a news conference in Paris, Aoun said the
Lebanese Army is investigating who fired two rockets at north Israel in the
morning and “we will not allow anyone to use Lebanon as a launching pad."“I call
on Lebanon’s friends to act quickly to stop the deterioration and help Lebanon
implement international resolutions,” Aoun said. Speaking alongside Aoun, French
president Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to withdraw from five posts it is holding
inside Lebanon.
Katz: For any
attempt to harm Galilee, the roofs of homes in Dahieh will shake
Naharnet/March 28/2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a fresh warning to Lebanon in the
wake of an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh earlier in the day. "As I said, the fate
of Kiryat Shmona is the same as Beirut. If there is no quiet in Kiryat Shmona
and in the Galilee communities, there will be no quiet in Beirut," Katz said in
a video statement. "For any attempt to harm the Galilee communities, the roofs
of homes in Beirut's Dahieh district will shake," he warned. "I send a clear
message to the Lebanese government: If you do not enforce the ceasefire
agreement, we will," Katz added. Earlier in the day, an Israeli strike destroyed
two buildings in Dahieh after an evacuation warning -- the first such raid since
the end of the September-November war between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israeli
army claimed that the buildings contained a Hezbollah drones depot. The attack
came after two rockets were fired from south Lebanon at northern Israel in the
morning, the second such incident in a week. Hezbollah has denied involvement in
both attacks.
Israeli strike
targets Dahieh for first time since war
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/March 28/2025
An Israeli airstrike on Friday targeted the Beirut southern suburb of al-Jamous,
destroying two buildings, following an Israeli evacuation warning, the first
such raid since a November ceasefire largely halted hostilities between Israel
and Hezbollah. TV footage showed heavy black smoke billowing from the area,
which is densely populated and home to residential buildings and schools. The
Israeli warning for evacuating a building sparked panic in the area, with
parents rushing to pick up their children from schools that quickly shut. Heavy
traffic clogged roads around the southern suburbs as many residents of the area,
which Israel heavily bombed during two months of war with Hezbollah from
September last year, tried to flee. Education Minister Rima Karami had ordered
all schools and universities in Hadath to close for the day. In some parts of
the southern suburbs, shooting could be heard warning people to leave their
homes and many residents were seen fleeing the area in cars and on foot.
Israel’s military had warned people in a post on X in Arabic to evacuate
buildings in the area. “You are located near facilities affiliated with
Hezbollah,” it said alongside a map with a building marked in red. After the
strike, Israel’s army said it attacked a Hezbollah drone storage facility,
accusing Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields and saying it issued
advanced warning for people to leave. It added that the rockets fired at Israel
from Lebanon earlier in the morning were a “blatant violation of the
understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” It also pledged to continue
operations “in order to remove any threat to the civilians of the State of
Israel.” Chaos engulfed the southern suburbs of Beirut as Lebanese tried to flee
the area, and a large smoke cloud rose over the city following the strike. The
area struck is a residential and commercial area and is in close proximity to at
least two schools, which sustained material damage. Hezbollah denied firing the
rockets at northern Israel, and accused Israel of seeking a pretext to continue
attacking Lebanon. Israel's army said it earlier struck "Hezbollah targets" in
southern Lebanon after the rocket fire. Israel's Defense Minister said Friday
that if there was no peace in Israel's northern communities there would be no
peace in Beirut either. Israeli strikes in other parts of Lebanon on Friday
killed three people and wounded 18, including children and women, in the
southern village of Kfar Tibnit, said Lebanon's health ministry.
Speaking from Paris, President Joseph Aoun said the strike on a Beirut suburb
was a continuation “of Israel’s violations of the agreement” that was sponsored
by France and the U.S.
How will latest
Israel-Lebanon escalation affect the tenuous ceasefire?
Associated Press/March 28/2025
An already fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be on
shaky ground Friday after rockets fired from Lebanon into northern Israel
triggered Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The rocket
launch from Lebanon was the second in a week, after a lull since December. In
both cases, Hezbollah denied being behind the attacks. The Israeli military has
continued to strike regularly in southern Lebanon, but Friday was the first time
it hit the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire deal brokered by the U.S. and
France brought an end to the latest Israel-Hezbollah war in late November. The
exchange highlighted the tenuous nature of the deal and worried residents of
Beirut's southern suburbs and border communities in Israel, many of whom only
recently returned to their homes after being displaced during the war. Here are
details of the ceasefire deal and a look at how Friday's blowup might affect it.
What does the ceasefire deal say? -
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, the day
after its ally Hamas launched a deadly attack into Israel that ignited the war
in Gaza. Israel responded with airstrikes and shelling, and the two sides were
locked in a low-level conflict for nearly a year. In September 2024, the
exchange of fire escalated into a full-scale war. Israel launched widespread
aerial bombardment of the country and a ground invasion in southern Lebanon.
More than 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon, including much of Hezbollah's top
leadership but also hundreds of civilians. The internationally brokered deal
that ended the war called for both Hezbollah and Israeli forces to withdraw from
the area south of the Litani River in Lebanon, which would be patrolled by a
beefed-up Lebanese Army, along with U.N. peacekeepers. The agreement called for
Lebanese authorities to prevent Hezbollah and other armed groups from launching
attacks on Israel and for Israel to halt "offensive military operations" in
Lebanon. However, the deal allows both sides to act in "self defense" without
defining what that means. It also left vague how Hezbollah's weapons and
military facilities north of the Litani River should be treated, saying that
Lebanese authorities should dismantle unauthorized facilities starting with the
area south of the river.
How has the deal held up so far? -
While the ceasefire ended the all-out war, it did not end the conflict
altogether. Israel has launched regular airstrikes in southern Lebanon since the
agreement took effect, saying that it is targeting Hezbollah facilities and
officials to prevent the group from rearming. The initial deadline for Israeli
forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon was in late January, but it was later
extended to Feb. 18. When Israel did not withdraw from border villages by the
original deadline, hundreds of demonstrators, some of them carrying Hezbollah
flags, attempted to enter the villages, and Israeli troops opened fire, killing
more than 20 people. After Feb. 18, Israeli forces withdrew from most of the
border area but continued to occupy five strategic overlook points in southern
Lebanon, saying that the military needed to maintain a presence there to protect
border villages in northern Israel. Lebanese officials have called for a full
withdrawal. The U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL said in a statement
Friday that it has tracked more than 650 "trajectories" fired across the border
since the ceasefire agreement took hold, with "the vast majority" of them
traveling from Israel to Lebanon. It also reported more than 30 airstrikes in
southern Lebanon and nearly 1,200 "activities" by Israeli ground troops.
Hezbollah has announced only one strike on Israel since the ceasefire took
effect, when it fired rockets into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights in
December.
Who launched Friday's rockets? -
Hezbollah denied responsibility for this week's launches into Israel — both of
which were shot down — and accused Israel of seeking a pretext to continue
attacking Lebanon. Some in Lebanon theorized that the launches were carried out
by armed Palestinian factions, particularly since the launch pads discovered by
the Lebanese Army appeared to be primitive. But some analysts took the militant
group's denial with a grain of salt. Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the
Carnegie Middle East Center think tank, said it is unlikely that the launches
could have taken place without Hezbollah's blessing. "At the end of the day,
who's active in southern Lebanon?" he said. Nicholas Blanford, a nonresident
senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Middle East programs, said the
missiles could have been an authorized action by Hezbollah or the result of "an
external actor who decided to make a point." They could also have been an
unauthorized action by "local Hezbollah guys who were upset at the fact that the
leadership has been very passive" in the face of the Israeli attacks in Lebanon
since the ceasefire, he said.
How will Friday's events affect the ceasefire? -
Before and after the rare strike in Beirut, Israel hammered southern Lebanon
with airstrikes, and officials said it would continue to do so. "We will not
allow firing on our communities, not even a trickle," Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said. "We will attack everywhere in Lebanon, against any
threat to the state of Israel, and we will ensure that all our residents in the
north return to their homes safely." Without peace in the northern Israel area
of the Galilee, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, "there will be no peace in
Beirut."Hage Ali said Israel has been emboldened by the "carte blanche" it has
received from the Trump administration to strike when and where it pleases in
Lebanon despite the ceasefire. Hezbollah, meanwhile, does not appear to be in a
position to return to sustained fighting. "Its deterrence is gone. The Israelis
are not scared of Hezbollah anymore," Blanford said. "This is the big change
between before October 2023 and now."But Hage Ali said that if Israel continues
to take an aggressive stance in Lebanon, it could eventually backfire and "at
some point, we're going to see an implosion of the ceasefire."
Macron blasts
Israel strikes on Beirut after Paris talks with Aoun
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/March 28, 2025
BEIRUT: French President Emmanuel Macron declared his “solidarity with the
people of Beirut following Israel’s targeting of the southern suburb of Beirut
on Friday. Macron on Friday criticized Israel for what he called “unacceptable
strikes on Beirut” that he said did not respect the ceasefire and played into
Hezbollah’s hands. He said that the strikes on Beirut “are unacceptable.”Macron
made the comments at a joint press conference in Paris with President Joseph
Aoun. Developments on the ground in Lebanon overshadowed Aoun’s talks in Paris
on Friday. Aoun began his meeting at the Elysee Palace with Macron and held a
direct call with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
FASTFACT
President Joseph Aoun began his meeting at the Elysee Palace with President
Emmanuel Macron and held a direct video call with President Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
They were later joined by the Cypriot President and the Greek Prime Minister in
five-party discussions. The talks in Paris aim to raise the issue of Syrian
refugees and explore ways to address it, a source in the Lebanese presidency
told Arab News. At the joint press conference following the meeting, Aoun said:
“The Israeli attacks on the southern suburb of Beirut and the threats are a
continuation of Israel’s violation of the ceasefire agreement sponsored by
France and the US. “The international community must put an end to these
aggressions and force Israel to adhere to the agreement, as Lebanon is committed
to it.”At Friday’s press conference, Aoun called for “forcing the concerned
states to compel Israel to cease its hostilities on Lebanon.”Macron emphasized
that France was standing with Lebanon because it recognized its immense
challenges. He indicated that “the tension on both sides of the Blue Line is a
turning point, and France remains by Lebanon’s side to preserve its sovereignty,
ensure full security, and implement the ceasefire reached with Israel.”He
stressed that “the Israeli army must withdraw from the five points in southern
Lebanon,” noting that “the strikes on Beirut are unacceptable.”He said: “We will
present practical and realistic proposals, considering the expectations of
Lebanon and Israel. “We have proposed that UNIFIL troops be deployed in
sensitive areas in the south, in coordination with the army and under the
supervision of the monitoring committee.”Macron said: “Aid to Lebanon is linked
to restoring the functionality of its institutions, as this is the key to
obtaining aid from the international community.”He added: “We believe in the
importance of the reform agenda set by the Lebanese president, and we will meet
with Lebanon’s friends to support the framework initiated by the Lebanese
executive authorities to implement a first set of aid.”He said that Lebanon
“needs an efficient energy sector to avoid remaining vulnerable to economic
instability and to attract investments. France is ready to offer its expertise
and companies to assist in this field.”Aoun told Le Figaro that Lebanon “cannot
tolerate being part of any axis.”When asked if Lebanon was out of the so-called
“Iranian-Shiite axis,” Aoun replied: “Lebanon, due to its geographical location,
cannot tolerate being part of any axis.
“The importance of Lebanon lies in its diversity, and in the solidarity and
internal unity of its people. It is this unity that will protect it from all
dangers. “In my oath of office, I spoke about Lebanon’s neutrality. However,
neutrality does not mean we do not stand in solidarity with Arab states.”Asked
about the disarmament of Hezbollah, President Aoun said that “the Lebanese army
has already dismantled several Hezbollah-aligned or pro-Iranian Palestinian
camps, including one near Beirut, two in the north near Tripoli, and three
others in the Bekaa Valley.”“More than 250 weapons seizures have taken place in
areas south of the Litani River, with many of the confiscated arms either
destroyed or, if in a good state, transferred to the Lebanese Army. The army,
which must be strengthened to 77,000 personnel, is carrying out its duty,” Aoun
added. He also said: “The Council of Ministers has approved the recruitment of
4,500 additional soldiers to bolster security in the south. “However, the entire
country needs defense and protection, not just the south. “The issue of
Palestinian weapons remains unresolved, and we must address it in coordination
with the Palestinian Authority. We want our army to have control over all
Lebanese territory. “The state alone must hold the monopoly on arms and the
legitimate use of force. This demand is as national as it is international.”Aoun
emphasized Lebanon’s full commitment to UN Resolution 1701 and criticized
Israel’s ongoing violations of the agreement. “We learned our lesson from our
past experiences with Israel. Therefore, we continue to work diplomatically with
France, the US, and the international community to ensure Israel’s full
withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the release of Lebanese hostages, and the
final demarcation of land borders.”Aoun also announced that Lebanon “will begin
addressing the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian land and sea borders, as well
as the issue of Syrian refugees.”Also on Friday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met
Defense Minister Michel Menassa. According to Salam’s media office, Menassa
visited Jeddah on Wednesday night with a security delegation and met his Syrian
counterpart, Marhaf Abu Qasra. The two sides signed an agreement on the
importance of border demarcation, forming joint legal committees in various
fields and activating coordination mechanisms. The Saudi Press Agency reported
that the meeting took place under the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman.
Israel
Intensifies Attacks against Hezbollah Field Commanders in Lebanon
Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Six people were killed in Lebanon in the past two days in Israeli strikes
against Hezbollah members. Lebanon’s state news agency said an Israeli drone
strike in the country’s south hit a car, killing two people on Thursday
afternoon in the village of Baraachit. The National News Agency gave no further
details and it was not immediately clear if the two killed were members of
Hezbollah. Israel's military said the strike targeted two members of the party.
Israel had earlier in the day fired artillery at Baraachit. Also on Thursday,
the Israeli army said it targeted Hezbollah members as they were transferring
weapons in the Yohmor area in the South. The NNA said one person was killed
overnight on Thursday in an Israeli drone strike on a car in the town of Maaroub
in the Tyre region. Meanwhile, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc MP
Mohammed Raad said the party’s priority at the moment “lies in ending the
Israeli occupation, kicking off reconstruction, consolidating sovereignty,
achieving the desired reform, and ensuring national partnership.”“The resistance
in Lebanon has and will always be the resistance against occupation and
injustice, and against invaders and violators,” he declared. “The resistance has
made major achievements (...) and repelled Israel’s world war against Lebanon in
2006 and defeated it,” he added. The “support front” Hezbollah had launched in
solidarity with Gaza on October 8, 2023, “was a preemptive move aimed at
protecting Lebanon, the resistance and its people,” he went on to say.
Moreover, Raad said Hezbollah has been firmly committed to the ceasefire since
it went into effect in November “even though it knew that the enemy will not
respect it and despite its violations that have been ongoing since day
one.”Furthermore, he stressed that the “resistance was never an alternative to
the state in assuming responsibility. Rather, it aided it in protecting Lebanon
and forcing the enemy to withdraw” from occupied territories. The resistance
also helped the state “preserve national sovereignty and dignity,” he added.
Now, the new government is prioritizing reform, “and we will help it in
achieving that,” remarked Raad.
Israel strikes
Beirut for the first time since a ceasefire ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah
war
Bassem Mroue/BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP)/March 28, 2025
Israel on Friday launched an attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, for the
first time since a ceasefire ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war in November.
Associated Press reporters in Beirut heard a loud boom and witnessed smoke
rising from the area in Beirut's southern suburbs that Israel's military had
vowed to strike. The attack was the first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire
took hold on Nov. 27, 2024 between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group,
although Israel has struck targets in southern Lebanon almost daily since then.
After the strike, Israel’s army said it attacked a Hezbollah drone storage
facility in the area of Dahiyeh, which it called a key Hezbollah stronghold.
Israel said Hezbollah uses civilians as human shields and said it issued
advanced warning for people to leave. The area struck is a residential and
commercial area and is in close proximity to at least two schools. The strike
came after Israel's army urgently warned people to evacuate parts of a Beirut
suburb, vowing to retaliate against strikes which it said were launched from
Lebanon into northern Israel. Israel’s defense minister said Friday that if
there was no peace in Israel’s northern communities there would be no peace in
Beirut either.
Hezbollah denied firing the rockets at northern Israel, and accused Israel of
seeking a pretext to continue attacking Lebanon.
Lebanon’s government ordered all schools and universities in Beirut’s southern
suburb of Hadath to close for the day. Residents were seen fleeing the area in
cars and on foot ahead of the strike. Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones
and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza
ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict boiled over into all-out
war in September as Israel carried out waves of airstrikes and killed most of
the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed over 4,000 people in
Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis. Israeli forces were supposed to
withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January under the ceasefire deal.
The deadline was extended to Feb. 18, but Israel has remained in five locations
in Lebanon across from communities in northern Israel. Meanwhile, Israel has
carried out dozens of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it
attacked Hezbollah, while continuing drone attacks that have killed several
members of the militant group.
Last week, Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Lebanon killed six people.
Speaking from Paris, Lebanon’s President, Joseph Aoun, said the strike on a
Beirut suburb was a continuation “of Israel’s violations of the agreement” that
was sponsored by France and the U.S. The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon,
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the exchange of fire was deeply concerning.
“This is a critical period for Lebanon and the wider region,” she said Friday.
Israeli strikes in other parts of Lebanon on Friday killed three people and
wounded 18, including children and women, in the southern village of Kfar Tibnit,
said Lebanon's health ministry. The escalation comes as Israel ended its
ceasefire with Hamas by launching a surprise wave of strikes that killed
hundreds of people in Gaza. Earlier this month, Israel halted deliveries of
food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million
Palestinians. Israel has vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returns 59
hostages it still holds — 24 of them believed to be alive. Israel is demanding
that the group give up power, disarm and send its leaders into exile. Hamas has
said it will only release the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian
prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The war was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel, in which
Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted
251. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 50,000 people, according to
Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or
combatants.
Ortagus says
ceasefire violation came from Lebanon, Israel had right to respond
Naharnet/March 28/2025
Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus said that Friday’s
ceasefire violation came from Lebanon and that Israel had the right to respond.
She was speaking to Al-Arabiya TV after Israel carried out an airstrike in
Beirut’s southern suburbs, the first since the end of the war, in response to
two rockets that were fired from Lebanon. Adding that Washington does not want
to see a bigger conflict between Lebanon and Israel, Ortagus stressed the need
to fully disarm Hezbollah and said that the Lebanese Army was not doing enough
effort to prevent rocket fire at Israel. Ortagus also said that the U.S. wants
to see real economic reform in Lebanon. Responding to a question, the U.S.
official said Washington wants peace between Lebanon and Israel after
strengthening the ceasefire agreement and conducting diplomatic negotiations.
US says Lebanon
must disarm Hezbollah as per 'agreement'
Agence France Presse/March 28/2025
Lebanon must disarm Hezbollah as agreed under the terms of the November truce
with Israel, the U.S. State Department said Friday, after rocket fire prompted
Israel to bomb Beirut's southern suburbs for the first time since the agreement
came into effect. Israel and Beirut agreed the terms of ceasefire in November,
but rockets have been fired from Lebanon twice this week, prompting Israeli air
raids in return. The Iran-backed Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket
fire, but Israel has vowed to respond to "enforce the ceasefire."A spokeswoman
for the U.S. State Department, Tammy Bruce, indicated that Washington supports
the Israeli position. "The reason that any attacks have happened is because
terrorists launched rockets into Israel from Lebanon. That is a violation of the
cessation of hostilities. It is a violation of the ceasefire when terrorist
groups, when armed groups, shoot rockets," Bruce said. "As part of the cessation
of hostilities agreement, the government of Lebanon is responsible for disarming
Hezbollah, and we expect the Lebanese armed forces to disarm these terrorists to
prevent further hostilities," she said.
Hezbollah ‘Can’t
Be Allowed to Keep Lebanon Captive,’ Says US as it Slaps it with New Sanctions
Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
The United States issued on Friday fresh sanctions designating a Lebanon-based
sanctions evasion network that supports Hezbollah’s finance team, which oversees
commercial projects and oil smuggling networks that generate revenue for
Hezbollah. Such evasion networks bolster Iran and Hezbollah, undermining
Lebanon, said the State Department. “As part of today’s action, the United
States is designating five individuals and three associated companies, including
family members and close associates of prominent Hezbollah officials.”“This
action supports the whole-of-government policy of maximum pressure on Iran and
its terrorist proxies, like Hezbollah,” it added. “The United States is
committed to supporting Lebanon by exposing and disrupting funding schemes for
Hezbollah’s terrorist activities and Iran’s destabilizing influence in the
region,” it said. “Hezbollah cannot be allowed to keep Lebanon captive. The
United States will continue using tools at its disposal until this terrorist
group no longer threatens the Lebanese people,” it vowed.
Israel Strikes Beirut Suburbs for 1st Time Since Truce, Says Will Hit 'Anywhere'
to Enforce it
Beirut: Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Israel on Friday carried out its first major airstrike on Beirut's southern
suburbs in months, retaliating for an earlier rocket launch from Lebanon in the
most serious test of a shaky ceasefire deal agreed in November. The strike
targeted a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, a Hezbollah
stronghold known as the Dahiyeh, that Israel said was a drone storage facility
belonging to the Iranian-backed group. The ceasefire has looked increasingly
flimsy in recent weeks. Israel delayed a promised troop withdrawal in January
and said last week it had intercepted rockets fired on March 22, which led it to
bombard targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the
rocket firing. Israel is also renewing its military campaign in Gaza after the
collapse of a January ceasefire with Hamas - a resumption of major warfare that
has set the wider region back on edge.
The south Beirut airstrike was heard across the Lebanese capital and produced a
large column of black smoke. It followed an evacuation order by Israel's
military for the neighborhood, and three smaller targeted drone strikes on the
building intended as warning shots, security sources told Reuters. The
evacuation directive sent residents of the area into a panic. They rushed to
escape on foot as traffic clogged the streets out of the area, Reuters reporters
in the area said. Beirut's southern suburbs were pounded last year by Israeli
airstrikes that killed many of Hezbollah's top leaders, including its powerful
long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah in a September air attack. In south Lebanon,
smoke rose from Israeli artillery strikes against targets in the hills just
across the border. The truce in November halted the fighting and mandated that
southern Lebanon be free of Hezbollah fighters and weapons, that Lebanese troops
deploy to the area and that Israeli ground troops withdraw from the zone. But
each side accuses the other of not entirely living up to those terms. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday Israel would continue to attack
anywhere in Lebanon to counter threats and enforce the ceasefire accord.
"Whoever has not yet internalized the new situation in Lebanon, has (today)
received an additional reminder of our determination," he said. "We will not
allow firing at our communities, not even a trickle." No group has claimed
responsibility for the rocket fire. The Lebanese army said it was able to locate
the launch site of Friday's rocket attacks and had begun an investigation to
identify those responsible.
CRITICISM
Israeli ministers have vowed to ensure that the tens of thousands of Israelis
who evacuated their homes in border areas when Hezbollah began bombarding the
area in 2023 would be able to return safely. But with more Israeli military
units deployed around Gaza, where 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes
on Friday, according to local health authorities, it remained unclear whether
Israel was prepared for any wider intervention. Hezbollah denied any role in the
rocket fire on March 22 and on Friday. President Joseph Aoun said a Lebanese
investigation into last week's attack did not point to Hezbollah and called
Friday's strike on Beirut unjustified. French President Emmanuel Macron, whose
government helped mediate the ceasefire in November, criticised Israel for what
he called "unacceptable strikes on Beirut" that he said did not respect the
ceasefire and played into Hezbollah's hands. "The Israeli army must withdraw as
quickly as possible from the five positions it continues to occupy in Lebanese
territory," he said, adding he would speak with both Israeli and US leaders.
Israel's statement confirming its air raid on Dahiyeh said that the Friday
morning rocket fire amounted to "a blatant violation of the understandings
between Israel and Lebanon and a direct threat to the citizens of the State of
Israel." It added that the Lebanese state bears responsibility for upholding the
agreement. Israel has vowed a strong response to any threats to its security,
stirring fears that last year's conflict - which displaced more than 1.3 million
people in Lebanon and destroyed much of the country's south - could resume. The
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said
the firing across the southern border on Friday was "deeply concerning." "Any
exchange of fire is one too many. A return to wider conflict in Lebanon would be
devastating for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and must be avoided at
all costs," she said in a written statement.
Israel Pounds South Lebanon After Intercepting Rockets,
Hezbollah Denies Involvement
Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Israel bombarded Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Friday after intercepting
a rocket fired from its northern neighbor, the Israeli military said, although
the Iranian-backed group denied involvement in the incident. Israel had vowed a
strong response to protect its security, in what amounted to a further blow to
the shaky ceasefire deal between the sides that ended a year-long war, a
spillover of the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza. A senior Hezbollah official
denied in a statement that the group was involved in Friday's rocket launch,
which followed a rocket salvo into northern Israel on March 22 for which the
Iranian-backed group also denied responsibility. Hezbollah said the incidents
appeared to be part of what it called attempts to create pretexts for the
continuation of Israeli military action in Lebanon. Defense Minister Israel Katz
said Israel held Lebanon responsible for missile fire into the Galilee region of
northern Israel. "We will ensure the security of the residents of Galilee and
will act forcefully against any threat," he said. Lebanese media said Israeli
warplanes were flying over the country on Friday. A second rocket launched from
south Lebanon on Friday landed inside the region, the Israeli military said. The
truce disruptions have coincided with Israel's renewal of war against
Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, breaking a two-month-old ceasefire after the
two sides could not agree on terms for extending it. Israeli artillery and
airstrikes hit southern Lebanon on March 22, killing at least eight people,
after Israel said it intercepted rockets fired from across the border. Hezbollah
denied responsibility for rockets fired on Saturday, saying it had "no link" to
the launches and remained committed to the ceasefire. Under a deal agreed in
November, Hezbollah was to remove its weapons from southern Lebanon, Israeli
ground forces were to withdraw, and the Lebanese army was to deploy in the area.
The agreement tasked Lebanon's government with dismantling military
infrastructure in the south and confiscating unauthorized weapons. The truce
ended Israel's bombardment and ground operations in Lebanon, as well as
Hezbollah's daily rocket fire into Israel. Both sides have accused each other of
failing to fully implement the terms. Israel says Hezbollah maintains military
positions in the south. Lebanon and Hezbollah say Israel continues to violate
the deal by carrying out airstrikes and keeping troops at five hilltop positions
near the border.
Lebanon Will Extend Army’s Control over Whole Country, Aoun Says as he Meets
Macron
Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Lebanon is determined to build its army and extend its control over the whole
country to end a cycle of violence, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on
Friday following an Israeli strike on Beirut. "We reject any attack on Lebanon
or any suspicious, malicious attempt to return Lebanon to the cycle of
violence," Aoun told a joint press conference with his French counterpart
Emmanuel Macron in Paris. "I call on Lebanon’s friends to act quickly to stop
the deterioration and help Lebanon implement international resolutions," Aoun
said. "What is happening increases our determination and commitment to build our
country and army, and extend our control over all of our lands."Israel on Friday
carried out its first major airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in months,
retaliating for an earlier rocket launch from Lebanon in the most serious test
of a shaky ceasefire deal agreed in November. Macron said that there was no
activity justifying Israel's "unacceptable strikes on Beirut" and that he would
call US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to
discuss the attacks. Macron said the renewed tensions "mark a turning point."
"The framework agreed upon by Lebanon and Israel was not respected today by
Israel unilaterally and without us having either information or proof of the
triggering event," he added. Macron and Aoun met to discuss economic reforms and
efforts to stabilize Lebanon. France will continue to be at Lebanon’s side to
help it preserve its sovereignty and guarantee its security, Macron vowed. "This
is what we want to do alongside you in the south. This is also what we want to
do on the border with Syria, where the situation is also extremely delicate," he
said.
Lebanese
President: Hezbollah Not Responsible for Rocket Attacks on Israel
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 28, 2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed from Paris on Friday that "past
experience" and army investigations indicate that "Hezbollah is not responsible"
for the recent rocket attacks on Israel, which launched new strikes in Lebanon
in response. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted his Lebanese counterpart on
Friday on his first official visit to a Western country since his election in
January, with French support, hoping to launch a reform process to extricate
Lebanon from its current crisis, according to Agence France-Presse. The visit
came amid fears of a collapse of the ceasefire between the Jewish state and
Hezbollah, following Israel's airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday
and strikes on southern Lebanon in response to rocket fire into its territory.
"There will be an investigation" into the source of the rocket fire, Aoun said
during a press conference at the Elysee Palace with Macron, adding: "Based on
our previous experience and the evidence on the ground, it is not Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has declared its innocence." While noting that the army had conducted
an investigation into the rocket fire toward Israel last week, he confirmed that
he would investigate the latest launch. The Lebanese president continued: "If
the United States and France cannot provide guarantees, who can provide
guarantees" regarding the continued implementation of the ceasefire reached on
November 27.
US sanctions
'evasion network' supporting 'Hezbollah finance operations'
Naharnet/March 28/2025
The United States said Friday that it slapped sanctions on a Lebanon-based
“sanctions evasion network” that supports Hezbollah’s “finance team, which
oversees commercial projects and oil smuggling networks that generate revenue
for Hezbollah.”“Such evasion networks bolster Iran and Hezbollah, undermining
Lebanon. As part of today’s action, the United States is designating five
individuals and three associated companies, including family members and close
associates of prominent Hezbollah officials,” the U.S. State Department said in
a statement. “This action supports the whole-of-government policy of maximum
pressure on Iran and its terrorist proxies, like Hezbollah, as detailed in
National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 issued on February 4,” the statement
said. It added that the United States is “committed to supporting Lebanon by
exposing and disrupting funding schemes for Hezbollah’s terrorist activities and
Iran’s destabilizing influence in the region.”“Hezbollah cannot be allowed to
keep Lebanon captive. The United States will continue using tools at its
disposal until this terrorist group no longer threatens the Lebanese people,”
the statement said.
Lebanese Army
says identified site of rocket launch towards Israel
Agence France Presse/March 28/2025
The Lebanese Army said Friday it had identified the site of a rocket launch that
triggered Israeli strikes, including on Beirut's southern suburbs for the first
time since a November Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire. "The army was able to identify
the rocket launch site in the Qaaqaaiyet al-Jisr area" in south Lebanon's
Nabatiyeh district just north of the Litani River, an army statement said. It
said the army was trying to identify the perpetrators. A Lebanese security
source told AFP on condition of anonymity the launch site was just 15 meters (50
feet) from the Litani, north of which Hezbollah was to withdraw under the
ceasefire agreement.
Lebanon and Syria sign agreement on border
demarcation and easing tensions
Bassem Mroue/BEIRUT (AP)/March 28, 2025
Lebanon and Syria have signed an agreement on border demarcation and to boost
coordination between the two countries regarding security along their tense
frontier, the Saudi Press Agency reported Friday.
The deal signed by the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers in Saudi Arabia
late Thursday came after clashes in border areas earlier this month left several
people dead and dozens wounded on both sides. The plan for border demarcation
also comes after the ouster in early December of the 54-year Assad family rule
in Syria, leading to tensions along the frontier where Lebanon’s Hezbollah group
was active on both side of the border during Syria’s 14-year conflict. Hezbollah
had been fighting in Syria alongside Assad during the conflict that has left
half a million people dead. The deal also comes after the 14-month
Israel-Hezbollah war that weakened the Iran-backed group in Lebanon. Lebanese
Defense Minister Michel Menassa was scheduled to visit the Syrian capital,
Damascus, on Wednesday but the visit was canceled. Menassa and his Syrian
counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, later flew to Jiddah in Saudi Arabia on Thursday,
where they held talks that were attended by Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin
Salman and signed the deal. The Saudi agency said the Lebanese and Syrian
ministers signed an agreement in which both sides agreed on the “strategic
importance to demarcate their border” and the formation of legal and specialized
committees in different fields. It added that both countries agreed to “activate
coordination mechanisms” to deal with any security challenges along the border.
It said Saudi Arabia backs security and stability in both countries and that
boosts security in the region. Over the past weeks, authorities on both sides of
the nearly 400-kilometer (250-mile) -long border have been closing smuggling
routes along the unmarked frontier.
Earlier this month, intense clashes broke out along the border after Syria’s
interim government accused militants from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group of crossing
into Syria, abducting three soldiers and killing them on Lebanese soil. The
Lebanese government said the three killed were smugglers.
Hezbollah denied involvement, and some other reports pointed to local clans in
the border region that are not directly affiliated with Hezbollah but have been
involved in cross-border smuggling. Authorities in Beirut at the time said seven
Lebanese citizens were killed and 52 were wounded.
Netanyahu: We will attack any place in Lebanon
that poses a threat to Israel
Al Arabiya Net - Agencies/March 28, 2025
Following Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon and the southern suburb of
Beirut, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel will attack any
place in Lebanon that poses a threat. Netanyahu added
in statements on Friday, "Those who have not grasped the new situation in
Lebanon received another example of our resolve," referring to today's
airstrikes. He also explained that "the equation has changed, and we will not
allow fire to be directed at our communities." He continued, "We will continue
to enforce the ceasefire forcefully in Lebanon." He indicated that Israel "will
continue to ensure that all our residents in the north return to their homes
safely," as he put it. The Israeli army announced that
it had attacked a drone storage infrastructure in the southern suburb. In a
statement on Friday, it claimed that the targeted building in the suburb was
being used by Hezbollah to store drones. He also believed that the
responsibility for adhering to the ceasefire agreement lies with the Lebanese
state, claiming that it would continue working to eliminate what he called any
threat against Israel. He considered the firing of rockets from Lebanon toward
the Galilee this morning a clear violation of the agreements. This came after
Israel bombed Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday, in the first strike there
since the ceasefire, according to Reuters. The Israeli military announced in a
brief statement earlier Friday morning that it was launching raids on Hezbollah
targets in southern Lebanon. This bombing came after two rockets were fired from
southern Lebanon toward Israeli settlements in the Galilee earlier in the day.
This prompted Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz to renew his threats against
the Lebanese authorities, holding them responsible for any violations in the
south. He also threatened to strike the capital, Beirut, if the rocket fire
continued, saying, "There will be no calm in Beirut until the Galilee is calm."
Hezbollah, meanwhile, denied involvement in the rocket fire, affirming its
commitment to the ceasefire agreement concluded on November 27 under US and
French sponsorship, which led to the cessation of the bloody war between the two
sides.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 28-29/2025
Trump threatens Iran
with "bad things" if nuclear deal not reached
Syrian President: We Face Major Security Challenges on Our Southern Border
Arabic/March 28, 2025
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa confirmed that his country faces major security
challenges on its southern border. In a statement published by the Syrian
presidency on Friday, the Syrian president added that the Israeli presence on
his territory represents a continuing threat to regional peace and security. The
Syrian presidency also explained that France hosted a Zoom summit bringing
together Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, French President Emmanuel Macron,
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, and
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The summit witnessed important
discussions on a range of regional and international issues affecting security
and stability in the Middle East, touching on several sensitive topics affecting
relations between the five countries. It is noteworthy that at least five people
were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a town in Daraa Governorate in southern
Syria, according to local authorities yesterday, indicating an Israeli incursion
into the area and the displacement of residents. Since the fall of Assad on
December 8, the Israeli army announced that it had taken positions in the buffer
zone (more than 10 locations) in the occupied Golan Heights, which has separated
the areas under Israeli and Syrian control since 1974. Its forces quickly
penetrated several areas and points surrounding the buffer zone, and also took
control of the eastern side of Mount Hermon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu claimed that this measure was temporary and defensive in nature, aimed
at curbing potential threats to his country from the Syrian side. However, he
indicated at the same time that the forces would remain there until Israel
received security guarantees on the border.
Iran Officially
Responds to Trump's Message via Oman
London/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 28, 2025
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced that Tehran had sent a response
via the Sultanate of Oman to US President Donald Trump's message urging it to
conclude a new nuclear agreement. This month, Tehran received a letter from
Trump, giving Iran two months to decide whether to enter new negotiations over
its nuclear program or face potential military action. Iranian media quoted
Araqchi as saying, "Iran's official response to the US president's message has
been sent appropriately via the Sultanate of Oman." He added, "This official
response includes a letter in which our viewpoint on the current situation and
Trump's message was fully explained, and it was communicated to the other
party." The Iranian minister continued, "Our policy remains based on rejecting
direct negotiations, in light of the policy of maximum pressure and military
threats, but indirect negotiations—as they have been in the past—can continue."
He pointed out that indirect negotiations with the United States had been held
during the terms of both former President Hassan Rouhani and his successor,
Ebrahim Raisi. Oman has been mediating indirect talks on the Iranian nuclear
issue, as part of the "Muscat Track." In October, Araghchi announced that this
process was "on hold for the time being." Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,
who has the final say on foreign policy and the nuclear program, rejected the
offer of talks, describing it as misleading and saying that negotiating with the
Trump administration "will lead to tightening sanctions and increasing pressure
on Iran." Western powers fear a change in the trajectory of Iran's nuclear
program after the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran's 60
percent uranium stockpile is now sufficient to produce six bombs, should Tehran
wish to increase its enrichment to the 90 percent required for weapons
production.
Iran Leaves Door
Open for 'Indirect' Talks with Washington
Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said on Thursday that
Tehran has not closed all doors to resolve its disputes with the United States
and is ready for indirect negotiations with Washington. Iran “has not closed all
doors. It is ready for indirect negotiations with the United States in order to
evaluate the other party, state its own conditions and make the appropriate
decision,” Kharrazi said, according to state media. “What we see today in the
behavior of the US government is a psychological war – pushing a 'war or
negotiations' narrative through conflicting messages from US officials,”
Kharrazi said. Tehran has so far rebuffed Trump's warning to make a deal or face
military consequences. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called the message deceptive
and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said talks are impossible unless
Washington changes its “maximum pressure” policy.
“The recent position of Trump and the vague references of certain US officials
to his letter and its widespread coverage in Western and regional media are
intended to create a kind 'delusional optimism' in Iran,” Kharrazi said. He
noted that some Iranians believe that the US opened door policy has been created
to resolve the old problems between Tehran and Washington and that Trump is
seriously seeking to ameliorate the US relations with Iran. “However,” he added,
“This policy is opposed by the US ruling make-up.”Kharrazi's statements
reinforce some observers' belief that there is a lot of division within the
Trump administration on Iran. Last Sunday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said
Trump's outreach to Khamenei on a possible new nuclear deal is an effort to
avoid military action. “We don't need to solve everything militarily,” Witkoff
told Fox News. Contrary to Witkoff's diplomatic tone, the White House's national
security advisor, Mike Waltz, said the US sought “full dismantlement” of Iran's
nuclear program. “Iran has to give up its program in a way that the entire world
can see,” he said in an interview on CBS News. On Thursday, Kharrazi, who is
also head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and a former foreign
minister, questioned the true intentions behind the US strategy, which he said
was an invitation to negotiate under the shadow of intensified economic
sanctions and military threats. “If Trump had understood Iran and the Iranian
spirit, he would have learned from the past and acted differently to resolve the
old issues between Iran and the US for the economic benefit of his own country.”
Kharrazi emphasized that Trump should have realized by now that the Iranian
people will never bow to pressure or coercion but will respond positively to
humility and honesty. Meanwhile, in a post on his official account on X,
Araghchi reposted a leaked message of war plans by top officials from the Trump
administration in a group on the commercial messaging app, Signal. Top Trump
administration officials mistakenly disclosed war plans in a messaging group
that included a journalist shortly before the US attacked Yemen's Iran-aligned
Houthis, the White House said on Monday, following a first-hand account by The
Atlantic. “People around the globe—including Americans—now see how US officials
look at world affairs,” Araghchi wrote on X. “Some highlight severe incompetence
and, more importantly, total disregard for human life in the decision making. As
for Iran, we see perhaps another reason to take the recent political overtures
with a huge grain of salt,” he added. Later on Thursday, the FM said his country
has sent a response through Oman to Trump's letter in which he urged Tehran to
reach a new nuclear deal.
Houthi Media: 40
US Airstrikes, the Most in a Single Night Since the Beginning of the Escalation
Sana'a/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 28, 2025
The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV reported early Friday morning that the US
launched 40 airstrikes on several areas in Yemen, the most in a single night
since the beginning of the recent escalation, resulting in seven civilian
casualties. The TV channel explained that the airstrikes targeted the areas of
Al-Labda, Al-Amshiyya, Habashah, Al-Adi, Al-Abla, and Al-Jabal Al-Aswad. Al-Masirah
had previously reported that the United States launched eight airstrikes on Harf
Sufyan District in Amran Governorate a short while ago. It also reported that
the United States launched airstrikes on Saada Governorate, Sana'a International
Airport, and the Jarban area in Sanhan District in Sana'a Governorate late
Thursday. Al-Masirah TV also reported on Wednesday that the United States
launched intensive airstrikes north and south of Sana'a, killing at least two
people. The United States launched a large-scale military operation against the
Houthis last week, with media outlets affiliated with the Yemeni group reporting
that it resulted in dozens of deaths. The Houthi group, which controls most of
Yemen, has been launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November 2023 in
support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Suspected US
strikes pummel Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen
AP/March 28, 2025
DUBAI: Suspected US airstrikes pummeled sites across Yemen controlled by the
Houthis early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa. The extent
of the damage and possible casualties wasn’t immediately clear, though the
number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the
campaign that began March 15. An Associated Press review has found the new
American operation under President Donald Trump appears more more extensive than
those under former President Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting
launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.
Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in
the attacks Friday in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital that the militia has held since
2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the Houthis’
stronghold of Saada and in Yemen’s Al-Jawf, Amran and Marib governorates. The
Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what at those sites had been targeted,
other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and
military traffic. Neighborhoods in the capital also are home to military and
intelligence service sites — as well as crowded with civilians. An Associated
Press video showed one bomb dropping into Sanaa, with a huge plume of smoke
rising into the night sky as many people were awake in the final days of the
Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. Other areas hit included mountainous
terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations
are believed to be. The Houthis’ Al-Masirah satellite news network described
communication networks going down after the attacks, which included at least 19
strikes there alone. The US military’s Central Command, which now has authority
from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did
not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. The command, which under
Biden offered details on individual strikes, has not provided that information
in this campaign. The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis say have
killed at least 57 people, started after the militia threatened to begin
targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza
Strip. The militia in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes
an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well. The Houthis
had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two
vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from
November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting
American warships, though none have been hit so far. The attacks greatly raised
the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown
targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decadelong stalemated
war that has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.
Oman thwarts smuggling of drones and cash
across border with Yemen
Muscat: Asharq Al-Awsat/March 28,
2025
Omani authorities announced the thwarting of a Yemeni citizen's attempt to
smuggle three drones and the arrest of four others in possession of large sums
of money of unknown origin through a border crossing with Yemen. The Royal Oman
Police (ROP) said on Thursday that customs officers at the Sarfait border
crossing in the Wilayat of Dhalkut in Dhofar Governorate arrested a Yemeni
citizen for attempting to smuggle three drones and their accessories hidden
inside the vehicle he was traveling in. Legal action will be taken against him.
In another statement on Friday, the police reported that customs officers at the
same border crossing arrested four Yemenis in possession of large sums of money
of unknown origin, expertly hidden inside parts of the vehicle. The remaining
legal action against them is being taken. Yemeni Information Minister Muammar
al-Eryani announced last Wednesday that customs and security forces at the
Sarfait border crossing in Al Mahrah Governorate, eastern Yemen, had
successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of drone components
bound for Houthi-controlled areas. He added that the authorities had seized 800
drone propellers. Al-Eryani described this as "a dangerous development that
confirms the militia's continued efforts to enhance its military capabilities
and develop its arsenal of drones, which it has repeatedly used to destabilize
the region and target international navigation." On February 16, the US Central
Command (CENTCOM) announced that Yemeni government-affiliated Coast Guard forces
had intercepted an Iranian arms shipment bound for Houthi militias. The
statement said the shipment, coming from Iran, was transported on a sailboat in
the southern Red Sea before being intercepted by Yemeni authorities. During the
operations, military equipment was seized, including cruise missile fuselages,
jet engines used in them, suicide and reconnaissance drones, as well as naval
radars, two modern jamming systems, and advanced wireless communications
systems.
Syrians Left in
the Dark as the Interim Government Struggles to Restore Electricity
Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Rana Al-Ahmad opens her fridge after breaking fast at sundown with her husband
and four children during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Apart from eggs,
potatoes and some bread, it’s empty because state electricity in Syria only
comes two hours a day. “We can’t leave our food in the fridge because it will
spoil,” she said. Her husband, a taxi driver in Damascus, is struggling to make
ends meet, so the family can’t afford to install a solar panel in their two-room
apartment in Jaramana on the outskirts of the capital. Months after a lightning
insurgency ended over half a century of the Assad dynasty’s rule in Syria, the
interim government has been struggling to fix battered infrastructure after a
14-year conflict decimated much of the country. Severe electricity shortages
continue to plague the war-torn country. The United Nations estimates that 90%
of Syrians live in poverty and the Syrian government has only been able to
provide about two hours of electricity every day. Millions of Syrians, like
Al-Ahmad and her family, can’t afford to pay hefty fees for private generator
services or install solar panels. Syria's new authorities under interim
President Ahmed Al-Sharaa have tried to ease the country's electricity crisis,
but have been unable to stop the outages with patchwork solutions. Even with a
recent gas deal with Qatar and an agreement with Kurdish-led authorities that
will give them access to Syria's oil fields, the country spends most of its days
with virtually no power. Reports of oil shipments coming from Russia, a key
military and political ally of Assad, shows the desperation.
Pitch black
At Al-Ahmad’s home, she and her husband were only able to get a small battery
that could power some lights. “The battery we have is small and its charge runs
out quickly,” said Al-Ahmad, 37. It’s just enough that her children can huddle
in the living room to finish their homework after school. And the family is not
alone. Everywhere in Syria, from Damascus to Daraa in the south, neighborhoods
turn pitch black once the sun sets, lit only from street lamps, mosque minarets
and car headlights. The downfall of Assad in December brought rare hope to
Syrians. But the new interim authorities have scrambled to establish control
across the country and convince Western nations to lift economic sanctions to
make its economy viable again. The United States in January eased some
restrictions for six months, authorizing some energy-related transactions. But
it doesn’t appear to have made a significant difference on the ground just yet.
Battered and bruised fields
Washington and other Western governments face a delicate balance with Syria’s
new authorities, and appear to be keen on lifting restrictions only if the
war-torn country’s political transition is democratic and inclusive of Syrian
civil society, women and minorities. Fixing Syria’s damaged power plants and oil
fields takes time, so Damascus is racing to get as much fuel as it can to
produce more energy. Damascus is now looking towards the northeastern provinces,
where its oil fields under Kurdish-led authorities are to boost its capacity,
especially after reaching a landmark ceasefire deal with them. Political
economist Karam Shaar said 85% of the country’s oil production is based in those
areas, and Syria once exported crude oil in exchange for refined oil to boost
local production, though the fields are battered and bruised from years of
conflict.
These crucial oil fields fell into the hands of the extremist ISIS group, which
held large swaths of Syria and Iraq from 2014 to 2017. “It’s during that period
where much of the damage to the (oil) sector happened,” said Shaar, highlighting
intense airstrikes and fighting against the group by a US-led international
coalition. After ISIS fell, the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
took control of key fields, leaving them away from the central government in
Damascus. The new authorities hope to resolve this in a landmark deal with the
SDF signed earlier this month. Kamran Omar, who oversees oil production in the
Rmeilan oil fields in the northeastern city of Hassakeh, says shortages in
equipment and supplies and clashes that persisted with Türkiye and
Turkish-backed forces have slowed down production, but told the AP that some of
that production will eventually go to households and factories in other parts of
Syria. The fields only produce a fraction of what they once did. The Rmeilan
field sends just 15,000 of the approximately 100,000 barrels they produce to
other parts of Syria to ease some of the burden on the state. The authorities in
Damascus also hope that a recent deal with Qatar that would supply them with gas
through Jordan to a major plant south of the capital will be the first of more
agreements.
The cornerstone of recovery
Syria's authorities have not acknowledged reports of Russia sending oil
shipments to the country. Moscow once aided Assad in the conflict against the
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that toppled the former president, but this shows
that they are willing to stock up on fuel from whoever is offering.
Interim Electricity Minister Omar Shaqrouq admitted in a news conference that
bringing back electricity to Syrian homes 24 hours a day is not on the horizon.
“It will soon be four hours, but maybe some more in the coming days.” Increasing
that supply will be critical for the battered country, which hopes to ease the
economic woes of millions and bring about calm and stability. Shaar, who has
visited and met with Syria’s new authorities, says that the focus on trying to
bring fuel in the absence of funding for major infrastructural overhauls is the
best Damascus can do given how critical the situation is. “Electricity is the
cornerstone of economic recovery,” said Shaar. “Without electricity you can’t
have a productive sector, (or any) meaningful industries.”
Hamas says Gaza
truce talks with mediators stepping up
AFP/March 28, 2025
GAZA CITY: Hamas spokesman Basem Naim told AFP Friday that talks over a
ceasefire deal between the Palestinian Islamist movement and mediators are
gaining momentum as Israel continues intensive operations in Gaza. “We hope that
the coming days will bring a real breakthrough in the war situation, following
intensified communications with and between mediators in recent days,” Naim told
AFP. Palestinian sources close to Hamas had told AFP that talks began Thursday
evening between the militant group and mediators from Egypt and Qatar to revive
a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza. Naim said Friday the proposal
“aims to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, (and) allow humanitarian
aid in.”Most importantly, he said, the proposal aims to bring about a resumption
in “negotiations on the second phase, which must lead to a complete end to the
war and the withdrawal of occupation forces.”A fragile ceasefire that had
brought weeks of relative calm to the Gaza Strip ended on March 18 when Israel
resumed its bombing campaign across the territory. Negotiations on a second
phase of the truce had stalled — Israel wanted the ceasefire’s initial phase
extended, while Hamas demanded talks on a second stage that was meant to lead to
a permanent ceasefire. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at
least 896 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes. Days later,
Palestinian militants resumed rocket launches toward Israel from Gaza. During
the first phase of the truce which took hold on January 19, 1,800 Palestinian
prisoners were freed in exchange for 33 hostages held in Gaza, most of them
since the start of the war on October 7, 2023. Of 251 hostages seized by
Palestinian militants during Hamas’s attack which triggered the war, 58 are
still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. The talks
in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened
to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release hostages, and Hamas warned they
would return “in coffins” if Israel did not stop bombing the Palestinian
territory.
Naim said Hamas was approaching talks “with full responsibility, positivity, and
flexibility,” focusing on ending the war.
Sources to Asharq
Al-Awsat : Hamas Executes ‘Spies’ after Leaders Get Assassinated
Gaza: Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Since Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18, Hamas has
suffered significant setbacks, including the assassination of leaders across
various ranks. Sources within the group, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on
condition of anonymity, revealed that Hamas has conducted what it described as
“revolutionary trials” for individuals detained in areas where its leaders and
other factions have been targeted by Israeli airstrikes and assassinations. Some
detainees accused of espionage have already been executed, while investigations
into others are ongoing, the sources said. The sources did not disclose the
number of executions but acknowledged that Hamas has been affected at
“political, military, and governmental levels.”In response to the intensified
Israeli operations, the group has implemented stricter security measures, they
added.
High-Profile Targets
Israeli strikes have continued unabated, focusing on senior Hamas figures. The
latest target was Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanoua, who was killed early
Thursday when an Israeli missile hit his tent inside a shelter in the Arda
Halawa area of Jabalia, northern Gaza. Israel also assassinated Ashraf al-Gharbawi,
a senior intelligence officer with Hamas' armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam
Brigades, in an airstrike targeting him and his family in an apartment in the
Arda al-Shanti area of northern Gaza, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. The same
sources said Israel also killed Ahmed al-Kayyali, who coordinated intelligence
operations between the Qassam Brigades and Hamas’ internal security service in
Gaza. Al-Kayyali was assassinated early Thursday in a strike on an apartment in
Gaza City’s Al-Nasr neighborhood. Since resuming its offensive, Israel has
carried out a series of targeted assassinations, killing five members of Hamas’
political bureau: Mohammed al-Jamassi, Yasser Harb, and Issam al-Da’alis—who
were killed in separate strikes on the first night of renewed fighting—along
with Salah al-Bardawil and Ismail Barhoum, who were assassinated in subsequent
operations. Also killed on the first night were Ahmed al-Shamali, deputy
commander of the Qassam Brigades’ Gaza Brigade; Osama Tabash, a key intelligence
leader in the brigades; and Jamil al-Wadiya, commander of the Shuja’iyya
Battalion, along with several other field commanders and government officials.
Israeli Intelligence Gains Raise Questions After Hamas Leader Killings
Israel’s ability to track and assassinate a large number of Hamas leaders has
raised questions about how it updated its intelligence after struggling to
locate high-level targets during the first phase of the Gaza war. Field sources
in Gaza told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel “exploited several factors during the
fragile 58-day ceasefire” to refresh its target database, particularly focusing
on field commanders—some of whom had survived multiple assassination attempts
during the conflict. According to the sources, Israel intensified its
intelligence-gathering efforts during the truce, deploying advanced surveillance
drones equipped with artificial intelligence and other technologies to track
high-value targets. It also conducted targeted eavesdropping on specific areas,
comparing intercepted calls with previous recordings from past years to identify
and locate individuals. Israel’s ability to carry out assassinations in Gaza has
been bolstered by the deployment of small surveillance devices dropped by drones
and the planting of hidden spy equipment and cameras by ground forces during
earlier incursions, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. Many of these devices remain
undetected, the sources added.
Prisoner Handovers Exposed Vulnerabilities
The sources said Israel exploited a security gap during the military parades
held by Palestinian factions while handing over Israeli hostages. These public
events allowed Israeli intelligence to track fighters and field commanders.
“Israel has been targeting vehicles that took part in these parades, launching
heavy strikes against them in recent days,” the sources said. Israeli estimates
suggest more than 100 vehicles were involved in Hamas’ parades, some of which
may have also been used in the October 7, 2023, attacks. Hamas sources confirmed
that several al-Qassam Brigades commanders who participated in the prisoner
handovers were later targeted, citing the killing of Jamil al-Wadiya, commander
of the Shuja’iyya Battalion, as an example. Israeli intelligence has also
tracked Hamas military figures as they moved to reorganize their ranks in
preparation for the next phase of fighting, while members of the group’s
political bureau and other key figures were assassinated after being observed
engaging in increased activity, sources revealed.
No Safe Options
Despite issuing security directives during the ceasefire to counter Israel’s
intensified intelligence operations, the warnings “were apparently
insufficient,” the sources said. They acknowledged that one major obstacle to
avoiding detection is the harsh reality in Gaza, where Hamas and other
Palestinian factions lack secure hideouts to evade Israeli surveillance. Several
senior Hamas and Qassam Brigades commanders were killed while sheltering in
tents in displacement zones, highlighting the lack of safe options, the sources
said. Others were targeted at their homes along with their families, while some
were killed after seeking refuge in apartments they did not own. The sources
also confirmed that Palestinian factions have lost significant portions of their
tunnel network, which previously served as command centers to manage military
operations.
The Sudanese Army
Declares "Complete Control" of Khartoum
Khartoum/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 28,
2025
The Sudanese army announced that it has taken full control of the capital,
Khartoum, a week after retaking the presidential palace from the Rapid Support
Forces (RSF) in a large-scale offensive. "Our forces were able today... to clear
the last pockets of the Daglo terrorist militia in Khartoum," army spokesman
Nabil Abdullah said in a statement issued Thursday evening, referring to the
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who have been at war
with Sudanese forces since April 2023.
UN chief calls
for action over ‘perfect storm’ engulfing South Sudan
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/March 28, 2025
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged both South
Sudan’s leadership and the international community to act swiftly to prevent
further devastation in the war-torn country, warning that ethnic and political
targeting by security forces could spiral into a broader regional conflict.
Referring to the escalating violence in South Sudan, including airstrikes on
civilians, Guterres said: “All the dark clouds of a perfect storm have descended
upon the people of the world’s newest country — and one of the poorest.”On
Wednesday, an armed convoy led by the nation’s top security officials, including
its defense minister, entered the home of First Vice President Riek Machar in
Juba, disarmed his bodyguards and placed him under house arrest. Tensions
between Machar and President Salva Kiir had been worsening for several weeks. In
August 2018, the two leaders reached a peace agreement that ended a five-year
civil war between their forces, which had resulted in almost 400,000 deaths.
However, In the seven years since, their relationship has grown more strained
due to ethnic conflicts and occasional outbreaks of violence. Machar’s party
said his detention effectively signaled the collapse of the peace deal.
This week, the UN reported that barrel bombs thought to contain highly flammable
liquid were used in airstrikes during clashes between the army and a rebel group
formerly associated with Machar. Speaking to reporters in New York, Guterres
said that “the peace agreement is in shambles,” and called for the immediate
release of all detained officials and the full restoration of the Government of
National Unity, which he described as crucial to moving toward peace. “The Horn
of Africa is already in turmoil and cannot afford another conflict,” he warned,
“and nor can the people of South Sudan.”
Directly addressing the South Sudanese leadership, Guterres said: “End the
politics of confrontation. Release detained military and civilian officials now.
Fully restore the Government of National Unity. And vigorously implement the
promises you made through your commitments to the peace agreement — which is the
only legal framework to peaceful, free and fair elections in December 2026.”The
humanitarian situation in South Sudan is alarming, with almost 75 percent of the
population requiring aid and at least half facing severe food insecurity. A
cholera outbreak is adding to the crisis. Over 1 million refugees have fled to
neighboring countries, primarily Sudan, since fighting erupted. Guterres also
noted a catastrophic economic collapse, with oil revenues plummeting and
inflation soaring to 300 percent. With the world’s youngest country facing such
dire circumstances, the UN secretary-general warned of the potential for a
repeat of the civil wars in 2013 and 2016. Guterres called for renewed
diplomatic efforts, emphasizing the need for dialogue and de-escalation. “South
Sudan is at a crossroads,” he said. “For the sake of the long-suffering people,
it is time for all parties to put down the weapons and focus on rebuilding the
country.”
The UN chief said that he had spoken with the chairperson of the African Union
Commission and expressed strong support for the AU’s initiative to deploy the
“Panel of the Wise” and for continuing efforts by Kenyan President William
Ruto’s special envoy. Despite the urgency of the situation, Guterres lamented
that South Sudan has largely faded from international attention. He pleaded for
increased diplomatic and financial support to address the mounting crisis. “The
people of South Sudan are close to my heart. They had enormous hopes and
aspirations, but sadly, they have not had the leadership they deserve.” There
have been increasing international calls for a unified stance on the peace
process in South Sudan, with the UN, AU, and the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development trade bloc all urging the restoration of peace and stability.
Chair of Sudan’s
transitional council hold talks with Saudi Crown Prince in Makkah
Arab News/March 28, 2025
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks with the
chair of Sudan’s ruling transitional council on Friday, a day after the Sudanese
Armed Forces declared they had regained full control of the war-torn country’s
capital, Khartoum. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who is also the head of the SAF,
met the crown prince at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah. They “reviewed the latest
developments in the situation in Sudan” and the efforts made “toward achieving
security and stability,” the Saudi Press Agency reported. They also discussed
opportunities for cooperation between their countries and agreed to establish a
coordination council to strengthen ties. Al-Burhan visited the recaptured
presidential palace in Khartoum on Wednesday after his forces recaptured it from
rival paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces, and said the capital was now
free of the militia’s fighters. His army confirmed on Thursday that it had
cleared Khartoum of the last remaining RSF pockets. Sudan descended into a civil
war between the army and the RSF in April 2023. The RSF initially seized control
of the capital and other parts of the country but the SAF regrouped and launched
an offensive last year to regain Khartoum. Saudi Arabia previously brokered
several rounds of peace talks in an attempt to end the fighting in Sudan, during
which tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 12 million
displaced.
Rubio: US
'Concerned' About 'Instability' in Turkey
Miami/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 28, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern on Thursday about the
"instability" in Turkey, where authorities continue to suppress opposition
protests, while affirming his country's desire to work with President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan. "We are monitoring the situation. We have expressed our
concern," Rubio told reporters as he flew from Suriname to Miami. "We don't want
to see similar instability in the governance of any of our allies." The US
Secretary of State said the United States is willing to cooperate with Turkey on
Syria and elsewhere. He added that President Donald Trump enjoyed a "very good
working relationship" with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his
first term, and that Washington is willing to resume this relationship and
cooperate on a number of issues.
Turkish Companies
‘Paying the Bill’ as Political Crisis Roils Economy
Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
Turmoil unleashed by the arrest of Türkiye’s leading opposition figure last week
has sent shockwaves through the private sector, forcing companies to rethink
strategy and dig in for a period of uncertainty and potential economic
instability. The detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who leads
long-serving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in some polls, has provoked the
largest anti-government protests in a decade, leading to mass arrests and
international condemnation. The move also sent the lira currency to a record
low, fueling a sell-off of Turkish assets that has destabilized company balance
sheets and driven up already high borrowing costs. Company officials told
Reuters that Turkish businesses across sectors were scrambling to reassess risk,
with some already pausing planned investments and slashing budgets. "The
industrialists now have to pay the bill for a crisis they did not cause," said
Seref Fayat, chairman of System Denim, which manufactures garments for leading
Western brands and exports them to Europe and the United States. Fayat, who also
heads a garment industry lobby group, said his credit costs have spiked due to
the market turmoil. He had been drawing up budgets for a second-half expansion
of his business in anticipation of an expected rebound in customer demand from
Europe. "We immediately shelved these plans following the latest developments,"
he said. The lira has recovered somewhat after touching a record low of 42 to
the dollar, but only after the central bank stepped in to prop up the currency.
And businesses worry more pain is on the way. Expectations of declining
inflation and lower interest rates following the adoption of an orthodox
economic program that had promised Turks future relief after years of soaring
prices and currency crashes, now seem in doubt. In an unscheduled meeting last
week, the central bank raised its overnight lending rate by two percentage
points to 46%. According to information provided to Reuters by bankers,
short-term commercial loan interest rates have increased from an average of
42-43% to 52-53%, with some rates as high as 60%. Morgan Stanley now forecasts
any cuts to the central bank's policy rate will be shelved until June. And
Goldman Sachs said it expected a hike in the policy rate by 350 basis points.
'EVERY COMPANY NEEDS A PLAN'
"The latest developments will affect companies' investment expenditures the
most," Hakan Kara, a former central bank chief economist now on faculty at
Bilkent University in Ankara, said on X, pointing out that investment had
already been slowing. "This will probably become even more apparent in the
short-term." The government has said the recent economic turmoil would be
limited and temporary. But some company officials worry the crisis may only be
beginning. Elections are set for 2028 when Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish
politics for more than two decades, will reach his term limit. Many, however,
see the arrest of Imamoglu, who was jailed on Sunday pending trial for graft, as
an early indication he could seek to remain in power, either through an early
election or constitutional changes that would likely face public opposition.
Mehmet Buyukeksi, a board member at Ziylan, which operates in retail and real
estate, said expectations of a more positive business outlook in Türkiye based
on government efforts to right the economy as well as strengthening demand were
now less certain. Improvements, including lower borrowing costs, that he had
been expecting to see in July, he is now pushing back to September, he said.
And there are other knock-on effects. One company official said some firms were
carrying out human resources risk assessments, worried that they could face
blowback if their employees participate in protests or share political content
on social media. Some conglomerates are reevaluating their risks in terms of
exchange rates, inflation, funding costs and are significantly increasing the
likelihood of negative impacts in their assessments, the company official said.
And a mergers and acquisitions consultant said that, while some foreign firms
might look past criticisms that the Turkish government's actions are growing
increasingly undemocratic, few will pour investment into an economically fraught
environment. "Everyone will re-do their calculations and books," said Fikret
Kaya, the general manager of plastics and industrial equipment manufacturer
Kayalar. "We have had to make monthly evaluations that we used to make
quarterly. I think every company needs to make a plan."
The
United States needs Greenland for "world peace"
Washington: Asharq Al-Awsat/March
28, 2025
US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that "bad things" would happen to
Iran if it failed to reach an agreement on its nuclear program, a day after
Tehran announced it had formally responded to Trump's letter calling for
negotiations. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office,
"I would very much prefer that we reach a solution with Iran. But if we don't
reach a solution, bad things will happen to Iran," according to Agence France-Presse.
The US president added, "Iran is at the top of my list of things I want to
watch," noting that he is examining reports of "Iranian drone use in Ukraine."
Trump emphasized that the United States needs control of Greenland for "world
peace," reiterating his desire to acquire this resource-rich Danish territory.
He said, "We're not talking about peace for the United States. We're talking
about world peace." "We're talking about international security," he said,
adding that there are Chinese and Russian ships in the region that Washington
cannot leave to Denmark to deal with. He explained, "If you look at the
waterways, you will find Chinese and Russian ships all over the region... We are
not relying on Denmark or anyone else to deal with this situation."
Buckingham
Palace: King Charles Suffering Side Effects After Medical Treatment
London/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 28, 2025
Buckingham Palace announced in a statement that King Charles III was admitted to
hospital on Thursday for observation after experiencing "temporary side effects"
related to his cancer treatment. All of Charles's engagements were canceled for
Thursday and Friday afternoons. The palace said: "The King has now returned to
Clarence House." As a precaution, and on medical advice, his daily schedule will
also be rescheduled tomorrow. The palace added that "the King wishes to offer
his apologies to all who may have been distressed or disappointed as a result."
Charles III, 76, has been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer
for more than a year. The King has continued to carry out his government duties,
such as reviewing government papers and meeting with the Prime Minister,
although he has taken some time off from public duties.
US Senator
Sanders Seeks Senate Vote to Block Arms Sales to Israel
Washington/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 28, 2025
US Senator Bernie Sanders said Thursday he will seek a Senate vote next week on
resolutions that would block $8.8 billion in arms sales to Israel, citing the
human rights crisis facing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after Israel's bombing
of the territory and its suspension of aid deliveries.
"(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is clearly violating American and
international law in this brutal war, and we must end our complicity in this
carnage," Sanders, an independent who leans toward the Democratic Party, said in
a statement announcing his plan. Given decades of bipartisan support for Israel,
resolutions halting arms sales are unlikely, but supporters hope that raising
the issue will push the Israeli government and US administrations to do more to
protect civilians. “No humanitarian aid has entered Gaza for more than three and
a half weeks since Israeli authorities declared a total blockade—no food, water,
medicine, or fuel since the beginning of March,” Sanders said in a statement. In
February, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights accused Israel
of an unprecedented disregard for human rights in its military operations in
Gaza and said that the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) had
violated international law. The Senate voted overwhelmingly in November to block
three resolutions introduced by Sanders that would have halted arms transfers
approved by the administration of former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who was
criticized by progressives for failing to help Palestinians as the situation in
Gaza deteriorated. President Donald Trump, who began his second term on January
20 and is a staunch supporter of Israel, overruled Biden’s efforts to restrict
arms shipments to Netanyahu’s government. Last month, Trump bypassed
congressional review to approve billions of dollars in military sales to Israel.
AMCD Condemns the
Massacres of innocent Alawite civilians and other Minorities in Syria
March 25, 2025
The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy unequivocally condemns the
massacres against Alawites, Christians, and other innocent civilians in Syria.
The massacres against Alawites began on March 7th and has not stopped with
reports of killings still surfacing, though they seem to be carried out in a
more secretive manner. AMCD has seen video evidence of hundreds of Alawite
civilians being attacked and murdered in their homes in broad daylight by
terrorist militias including those from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and
affiliated forces.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (Syriahr.com) documented the names of
1628 civilians including women and children who were murdered by terrorists and
regime forces since March 7th, 2025.
AMCD warned about the potential for massacres on March 3 and offered viable
solutions to protect Syrian minorities. Unfortunately, events unfolded quickly,
and many atrocities were committed under the cover of regime-change chaos after
the fall of the Assad regime. Thousands of civilians either fled to Lebanon or
asked for protection from Russian forces stationed near Latakia in Syria. There
are also credible reports that militants loyal to Turkey took part in those
atrocities.
“As a coalition of Mideast Americans, we urge Secretary of State Marco Rubio to
dispatch a fact-finding mission to West Syria along the coast and in the
mountains to collect evidence of the massacres and engage with the affected
population” said John Hajjar, co-chair of AMCD.
For his part, Tom Harb, co-chair of the coalition said, “We are concerned about
all ethnic communities in Syria, including the Kurds, Druze, Christians and
secular and moderate Sunnis. But the massacres that targeted the Alawites in
West Syria at the hands of Jihadists were the most dangerous so far and
undermine the credibility of the de factor rulers in Damascus. We recommend that
the Trump administration freeze any suspension of sanctions against the current
regime until real protection is provided to all communities, starting with the
most endangered – the Alawites.”
“I urge the U.S. government to advocate for an international investigation into
the sectarian massacres committed against Alawites and other minorities in
Syria’s coastal region,” said Taleb Alashkar, MIT Researcher from Boston,
Massachusetts. “These atrocities, carried out by both foreign and Syrian
fighters, demand urgent accountability and justice.”
“Stop the ongoing massacre in West Syria,” added Morhaf Ibrahim, MD, President,
Alawites Association of The United States (AAUS). “Dozens of Alawites are being
killed and kidnapped daily on what appears to be an act of genocide.”
“On behalf of the victims of violence in western Syria, I urge our government to
lead the international community to expand the protection applied to other
Syrians in the Northeast Syria to protect peace, dignity, and basic human
rights,” said Zuhair Yaseen MD. “We need to be proactive and learn from lessons
in the past to prevent extremism from using Syria as a hotbed for international
terrorism.”
“The Trump administration must clarify its stance on Syria as civilians
especially Alawites and Christians continue to suffer and be victims of
massacres,” added Mohamad Hassan, MD, and board member of AAUS. “Ten thousand
years of civilization should not be allowed to be vanished by a bunch of
brainwashed jihadists.”
“We believe that the preservation of Syria’s unity and stability can only be
achieved through the establishment of a civil, democratic, and constitutional
state—one based on the rule of law, equal citizenship, and the full separation
of powers,” said Ali Zamam, a lawyer and human rights activist. “Such a state
must guarantee the freedom of speech, religious belief, and political
expression, and ensure a fair representation for all components of the Syrian
society”
“We need the Christians and Alawites as well as other minorities in West Syria
to have self-determination and a decentralized government to allow them to live
in peace and be a USA ally,” said Qussai Salamah. MD, board member of AAUS.
It remains to be seen what the future will hold for Syria, but for now the
government seems to be firmly held by jihadist forces who seem to be determined
to enforce their strict Islamist rules and way of life on Syrians who have been
historically moderate and open to the West. Allowing jihadists to control Syria
is a clear and present danger to the interest of Syria and its neighbors,
including Lebanon and Israel.
American Iranian Coalition for Democracy (AICD)
Middle East Christian Committee
World Council for the Cedars Revolution
Israeli actions in Gaza bear hallmarks of atrocities, UN agency says
Olivia Le Poidevin/GENEVA
(Reuters)/March 28, 2025
Israeli actions in Gaza, including strikes on populated areas in which civilians
have been killed, bear the hallmarks of atrocities, the agency that coordinates
U.N. humanitarian aid said on Friday. "There is a callous disregard for human
life and dignity. The acts of war that we see bear the hallmarks of atrocity
crimes," Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, said in Geneva. "Every day we have seen children being
killed, aid workers being killed, people being forcibly displaced with no means
for their survival," added Laerke, who also noted the resumption of rocket fire
from Palestinian factions in Gaza. Israel denies violating humanitarian law in
Gaza and blames Hamas fighters for harm to civilians for operating among them,
which the fighters deny. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his
former defence minister have been indicted alongside Hamas leaders by the
International Criminal Court in the Hague, on war crimes charges which Israel
rejects. Laerke said stocks of food and medical supplies are running out very
fast as the Israeli authorities have blocked aid from crossing into the enclave
since March 2. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it would not
allow the entry of all goods and supplies into the enclave until all remaining
hostages were released. The World Food Programme said it has 5,700 tonnes of
food stocks left in Gaza, enough to support its operations for two weeks at
most. There are also severe shortages of blood supplies to treat the wounded in
Gaza, the World Health Organization said on Friday. "Everything related to
trauma is quickly running short. There are less than 500 blood units available.
4,500 blood packs are needed each month", Rik Peeperkorn from WHO told reporters
in Geneva via video link in Jerusalem. More than 50,000 Palestinians have been
killed by the Israeli campaign in Gaza, Palestinian officials say. It was
launched after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern
Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages,
according to Israeli tallies.
Putin suggests putting Ukraine under UN-sponsored external governance, boasts
battlefield gains
The Associated Press/March 28, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed Friday to put Ukraine under external
governance under the U.N. aegis as part of efforts to reach a peaceful
settlement, a blustery statement that reflected the Kremlin leader's
determination to achieve his war goals. Speaking to the crew of a Russian
nuclear submarine in televised remarks broadcast early Friday, Putin reaffirmed
his claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term expired last
year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal. Under Ukraine’s constitution it
is illegal for the country to hold national elections while it's under martial
law. Putin claimed that any agreement that is signed with the current Ukrainian
government could be challenged by its successors and said new elections could be
held under external governance. “Under the auspices of the United Nations, with
the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our
partners and friends, we could discuss the possibility of introduction of
temporary governance in Ukraine,” Putin said, adding that it would allow the
country to “hold democratic elections, to bring to power a viable government
that enjoys the trust of the people, and then begin negotiations with them on a
peace treaty.” He added that such external governance is just “one of the
options,” without elaborating.
‘They’re playing for time’
Putin's remarks came hours after the conclusion of a summit hosted by French
President Emmanuel Macron that considered plans to deploy troops to Ukraine to
cement an eventual peace deal. Macron said “several” other nations want to be
part of the force alongside France and Britain. Russia has warned it wouldn’t
accept any troops from NATO members as part of a prospective peacekeeping force.
Macron and other participants of the Paris summit on Thursday accused Russia of
only pretending to want a negotiated settlement. “They are playing games and
they’re playing for time,” said U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We can’t let
them drag this out while they continue prosecuting their illegal invasion.”
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a tentative U.S-brokered deal to pause strikes
on energy infrastructure, but quickly accused each other of violations,
underscoring the challenges to negotiating a broader peace.
Drone attacks continue
Russia launched 163 strike and decoy drones at Ukraine late Thursday, according
to the Ukrainian air force, which said that 89 of them were downed and 51 more
jammed. The drones damaged multiple residential buildings and injured a
19-year-old in Zaporizhzhia, regional head Ivan Fedorov said. In Poltava, drones
damaged warehouses, administrative building, and a high-voltage transformer,
according to regional head Volodymyr Kohut. Damage to buildings and
infrastructure facilities was also reported by the authorities in the Odesa,
Kharkiv, Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions. Ukraine’s state-run gas company, Naftogaz,
said Friday that its facilities came under Russian fire without specifying its
time and location. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian forces
struck a gas metering station in Sudzha in the Kursk region with U.S.-made
HIMARS rockets, completely destroying the facility. It said another Ukrainian
strike on an energy facility in Russia's Bryansk region led to a power cutoff,
and added that air defenses downed 19 Ukrainian drones that attempted to strike
an oil refinery in Saratov. The ministry said the continuing strikes show that
Kyiv's pledge of adherence to a U.S.-proposed halt on strikes on energy
facilities was just “another ruse by Zelenskyy to prevent the collapse of
Ukrainian defenses and to restore military potential with the help of European
allies.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukrainian strikes on Russian
energy assets was a sign that Zelenskyy can’t control his military. “The
Ukrainian armed forces aren’t following orders from the country’s leadership and
are continuing attempts to strike Russia’s energy infrastructure,” Peskov said
in a conference call with reporters. He said that Russia will continue sticking
to the halt on strikes on energy facilities but reserves the right to opt out of
the deal if violations continue.
‘Strictly adhering to agreements’
Ukraine’s military rejected Russia’s claims of Ukrainian strikes on energy
facilities as fake, aimed at “discrediting Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts of
Ukraine and its partners.”“We emphasize that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are
strictly adhering to the agreements reached with partners to stop strikes on
energy facilities," the General Staff said, emphasizing that the military only
has struck Russia's military targets. It also accused Russia of violating the
“energy ceasefire,” saying that it has struck energy infrastructure in the city
of Kherson and Poltava region of Ukraine over the last 24 hours. "The Russian
tactic of dragging out the war remains unchanged,” Ukraine's General Staff said.
While Ukraine has agreed to a full, 30-day ceasefire that U.S. President Donald
Trump has proposed, Putin has made a complete ceasefire conditional on a halt of
arms supplies to Kyiv and a suspension of Ukraine’s military mobilization —
demands rejected by Ukraine and its Western allies.
Russia's battlefield gains
Russian troops have made slow but steady gains in several sectors of the more
than 1,000-kilometer (over 620-mile) frontline, and Zelenskyy warned Thursday
that Russia was trying to drag out talks in preparation for bigger offensives.
Putin declared in overnight remarks that the Russian troops have "gained steam"
and "are holding strategic initiative all along the line of contact.”He noted
that Russia is open to a peaceful settlement, but emphasized the need to “remove
root causes that led to the current situation.”“We certainly need to ensure
Russia's security for a long historic perspective,” he said. Putin has demanded
that Kyiv withdraw its forces from the four regions Moscow has partially seized.
He also wants Ukraine to renounce joining NATO, sharply cut its army and legally
protect Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscow’s orbit.
Russian officials also have said that any prospective peace deal should involve
unfreezing Russian assets in the West and lifting other U.S. and European Union
sanctions. The Trump administration has said it would consider potential
sanctions relief.
Israel flouting international law with forced evacuations in Gaza, UN says
Olivia Le Poidevin/Reuters/March 28,
2025
GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights office accused Israel on Friday of
violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under
"mandatory evacuation orders". The Israeli army has issued what the U.N.
describes as 10 mandatory evacuation orders, covering large areas across Gaza,
since it resumed its war against Hamas on March 18, breaking a two-month-old
ceasefire amid rows over terms for extending it. "These evacuations fail to
comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law," U.N. human
rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement on Friday. Israel's
mission to the U.N. in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for
comment. Israel has previously denied violating humanitarian law in Gaza,
blaming Hamas militants for harm to civilians by operating among them. Hamas
denies this. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence
minister have been indicted alongside Hamas leaders by the International
Criminal Court in The Hague on war crimes charges, which Israel rejects. "Israel
is not taking any measures to provide accommodation for the evacuated
population, nor ensure that these evacuations are conducted in satisfactory
conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition," Al-Kheetan's statement
added. Over half of northern Gaza appears to be under such orders, it said,
while those who have been newly displaced from the south of the enclave in the
Rafah area and forced to go to coastal Al Mawasi were not guaranteed safety
there. "We are deeply concerned about the shrinking space for civilians in Gaza
who are being forcibly displaced by the Israeli army from large swathes of
territory," it added. Since Israeli airstrikes resumed on March 18, at least 855
Palestinians have been killed and 1,869 injured, according to the U.N., which
cited figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on March 28-29/2025
The Alien Enemies Act, 'Public Safety,' the Separation of Powers, and
That Little Word 'Or'
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute./March 28/2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21508/alien-enemies-act-public-safety
The only matter about which there seems no dispute
in President Donald J. Trump's administration having officially designated Tren
de Aragua and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, is
that they are a threat to public safety.
The text of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, written 10 years after the
Constitution was ratified, states:
§21 Restraint, regulation, and removal
Whenever there is a declared war between the United States and any foreign
nation or government, or any invasion OR predatory incursion is perpetrated,
attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States by any
foreign nation or government, and the President makes public proclamation of the
event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or
government, being of the age of fourteen years and upward, who shall be within
the United States and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be
apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies. The President is
authorized in any such event, by his proclamation thereof, or other public act,
to direct the conduct to be observed on the part of the United States, toward
the aliens who become so liable; the manner and degree of the restraint to which
they shall be subject and in what cases, and upon what security their residence
shall be permitted, and to provide for the removal of those who, not being
permitted to reside within the United States, refuse or neglect to depart
therefrom; and to establish any other regulations which are found necessary in
the premises and for the public safety.
(R.S. §4067; Apr. 16, 1918, ch. 55, 40 Stat. 531. Emphases added)
The decision to deport alien enemies when a "predatory incursion is perpetrated,
attempted, or threatened," is clearly mandated to the president, who recently
ordered deportations of members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, and Latin
America's MS-13.
If anyone was deported unjustly, he can file from abroad for a writ of habeas
corpus, to protest having been unjustly imprisoned. District courts are
answerable to their districts, not to the nation or to any other of the three
distinctly separate branches of government. By definition, the mandate of a
district court is to its district and the allegedly aggrieved parties who reside
there, not to the entire nation or to a separate branch of government. An
appellate court is answerable to several states. Only the Supreme Court has
jurisdiction over the entire United States. Judge James Boasberg of the US
District Court for the District of Columbia would therefore appear to have ruled
for the plaintiffs in a case where they lack standing: the right to sue. What
judges do have an obligation to do is to "to imprison, or otherwise secure such
alien," not to obstruct their deportation:
§23. Jurisdiction of United States courts and judges
After any such proclamation has been made, the several courts of the United
States, having criminal jurisdiction, and the several justices and judges of the
courts of the United States, are authorized and it shall be their duty, upon
complaint against any alien enemy resident and at large within such jurisdiction
or district, to the danger of the public peace or safety, and contrary to the
tenor or intent of such proclamation, or other regulations which the President
may have established, to cause such alien to be duly apprehended and conveyed
before such court, judge, or justice; and after a full examination and hearing
on such complaint, and sufficient cause appearing, to order such alien to be
removed out of the territory of the United States, or to give sureties for his
good behavior, or to be otherwise restrained, conformably to the proclamation or
regulations established as aforesaid, and to imprison, or otherwise secure such
alien, until the order which may be so made shall be performed.
(R.S. §4069. Emphases added)
The recent deportation of illegal migrants back to Venezuela, negotiated by
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, raises the further question of setting a
possible legal precedent for District Court Judges to have standing -- the right
to judicially intervene -- in federal foreign policy.
"There's a pattern whereby these district court judges are trying to usurp the
responsibility of the president in the national security area," according to
former Attorney General William Barr. "The president is absolutely right to be
frustrated and concerned about the way the courts are handling this. The
Constitution gives the president the power to make the judgments about how we
deal with foreign nationals when we are animated by national security concerns,"
he continued. "It's his call, not a district court judge's call."
The administration's deportation case, now in the appellate court, will
presumably be sent to the Supreme Court for final adjudication, and it is
assumed they will accept the case for review. Until then, it would seem that
Trump is well within the rights granted to the president under Article II of the
Constitution.
**Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Is Mark Carney 'Canada first' or net zero first?
Gina Pappano/Special to Financial Post/March 28, 2025
It is typical of people like Liberal Leader Mark Carney, who have spent
significant time on either side of the increasingly porous border between the
public and private sectors, that they have amassed a variety of
side-appointments to various public and private entities, corporate boards and
governmental and quasi-governmental advisory boards.
Upon presenting himself as a candidate for the Liberal leadership in
mid-January, Carney resigned from all these business and government
appointments. But he couldn’t and cannot resign from the corporate, government
and elite agendas underlying these roles. They are the grounding for his
positions on industry, finance, and economics, and — unless he is utterly
opportunistic, which would raise another set of problems — will form the basis
for his policies as prime minister and the direction of our country as long as
he’s in office.
Perhaps the most prominent ideological goal for Carney over the years,
particularly in his roles as the UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance,
and as co-chair and creator of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net-Zero (GFANZ),
has been net zero. Net zero requires a singular focus on decarbonization and an
attempt to build, by 2050, a zero-carbon economy, meaning in practice the
phasing out of fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. In Carney’s own words,
GFANZ is “relentlessly, ruthlessly, absolutely focused on the transition to net
zero.” I would add “recklessly” to that list.
Through GFANZ, Carney sought to reshape the global financial system along
environmentalist lines. Carney lobbied banks, insurance companies and investment
management firms around the world to sign up to GFANZ, and pressured companies
to enact strict climate disclosures that would enable GFANZ members to, as
Carney himself described it in 2024 testimony for the U.S. House Judiciary
Committee, “decide who to lend to or invest in and who to avoid.”
The word “decide” makes it all sound entirely voluntary, but the fact is GFANZ
members had to commit to aligning their lending and investment portfolios with
net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century or sooner. The conscious co-ordination
that resulted persuaded the Judiciary Committee that what was going on
constituted a “climate cartel” that would only lend or invest in companies that
had committed to net zero, even if companies that didn’t meet this criterion
would be better investments. Use of the word “cartel” panicked many major
financial institutions, which have since withdrawn from GFANZ.
In its essentials, Carney’s project — which began to implode right around the
time he announced his run for the Liberal leadership — was all about pushing
financial institutions to put the net-zero ideology ahead of their fiduciary
responsibility to their shareholders.
With his selection as Liberal leader and therefore prime minister, Carney has
risen to the top of what Benjamin Disraeli famously called “the greasy pole” of
politics. If voters let him stay there, he will be in a unique position to
promote the net-zero agenda. But that would be disastrous for Canada. Oil and
gas remains one of our most productive and prosperity-generating sectors.
Nothing exists in Canada without abundant, reliable and affordable hydrocarbon
energy — not mining, steel, manufacturing, cement, agriculture, forestry,
plastics, petrochemicals, autos, transportation, aviation — you name it.
Nor is net zero likely to help the environment in any meaningful way, either.
The demand for hydrocarbon energy is projected to keep rising over the next
several decades. If Mark Carney’s preferred course of action succeeds in
eliminating production in Canada, or, say, in Britain’s North Sea, well, that’s
a huge boon to petro-states around the world that aren’t known for their
commitment to either environmental stewardship or human rights.
Last year’s U.S. election demonstrated Americans’ interest in drilling their way
to prosperity. Although President Donald Trump might be happy to see Canada
withdraw as a competitor in his quest for energy dominance, we can’t afford to
sit on the sidelines. But Carney is showing no signs of backing away from net
zero. He has zeroed out the consumer carbon tax but doubled down on the (hidden)
industrial carbon tax and he has reaffirmed his commitment to the emissions caps
on the oil and gas industry, a continuation of Justin Trudeau’s war on the
natural resources sectors.
Equal-time leaders' debates are unfair to voters
We need wealth creation not Robin Hood
The (missing) book on Mark Carney’s plan for Canada
We shouldn’t be surprised. Carney is a true believer, after all, and these
policies are consistent with his entire career. At GFANZ his position amounted
to putting the net-zero ideology above the interests of shareholders. It isn’t a
stretch to imagine that his policies as prime minister will amount to putting
net zero above the interests of Canadians and Canada itself. Net zero first,
Canada second.
**Gina Pappano is executive director of InvestNow.
China Is Taking War to Earth Orbits: A 'Space Pearl Harbor'
Is on the Way
Gordon G. Chang/ Gatestone Institute./March 28, 2025
"Communist China has now taken war to the heavens, to low earth orbit, and very
likely, will take war to the moon, Mars, and beyond. The heavens are no longer
safe for the democracies." — Richard Fisher, International Assessment and
Strategy Center, to Gatestone, March 2025.
"Rising powers, notably China and Russia, saw how reliant we were on space—and
how poorly defended our systems were. Our access to the strategic high ground is
now more threatened than ever before." — Brandon Weichert, author of Winning
Space: How America Remains a Superpower, to Gatestone, March 2025. China is
making fast progress in building space weapons. "The Chinese ISR"—intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance—"capabilities are become very capable," said
Gen. Guetlein. "They have gone from what we used to call a 'Kill Chain' to a
'Kill Mesh.'" A Kill Mesh combines ISR satellites with an array of weapons
systems. "The recent demonstration of Chinese 'dogfighting' capabilities in
space is an indicator that Beijing means to use force on earth. By targeting
sensitive U.S. military satellites, the People's Liberation Army can render us
deaf, dumb, and blind, long before it strikes." — Brandon Weichert, to Gatestone,
March 2025.
The Chinese are evidently planning to blind not only America's military but also
America's civilian society, which is heavily dependent on space assets. Almost
nothing modern in America will work when the Chinese are finished attacking in
the heavens.
China is making fast progress in building space weapons, and appears to be
working on large combat platforms that can attack satellite targets in multiple
orbits. The Chinese are evidently planning to blind not only America's military
but also America's civilian society, which is heavily dependent on space assets.
Almost nothing modern in America will work when the Chinese are finished
attacking in the heavens.
"With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space
maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchronicity and in control,"
the U.S. Space Force's Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein told
the 16th annual McAleese Defense Programs conference in Arlington, Virginia on
March 18. "That's what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing
tactics, techniques and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one
satellite to another."
Guetlein's stark comment about China signals a break with the past. "This marks
the end of the Western-American-liberal dream of nations leaving wars on Earth
so they can cooperate in space to advance humanity," Richard Fisher of the
International Assessment and Strategy Center told Gatestone after the general's
widely publicized remarks. "Communist China has now taken war to the heavens, to
low earth orbit, and very likely, will take war to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
The heavens are no longer safe for the democracies."
Space is now a highly contested domain, but it wasn't always this way. "We told
ourselves we would be the dominant power forever," Brandon Weichert, author of
Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, said to Gatestone. "We coasted
on that notion for far too long. Rising powers, notably China and Russia, saw
how reliant we were on space—and how poorly defended our systems were. Our
access to the strategic high ground is now more threatened than ever before."
As Weichert points out, "bureaucratic inertia and a lack of visionary leadership
from both political parties" allowed China and Russia to develop the
capabilities to threaten America in space.
There was another party at fault: The U.S. military failed to protest when it
could see there was an obvious threat. "There was a gentlemen's agreement until
recent that we didn't mess with each other's space systems," Guetlein said. "We
didn't jam them, we didn't spoof them, we didn't lase them, we just kept them
safe."Why was the U.S. so gentlemanly? Presidents believed that because the U.S.
had more space assets than others, it was not in America's interest to trigger a
race to build weapons to destroy those assets. Yet this view, appearing
commonsense at first glance, was naïve: It was apparent even then that neither
China nor Russia could be enticed into good behavior. Generals and admirals
should have sounded the warning.
There was a lot to warn about. On January 11, 2007, for instance, China
demonstrated its intentions by launching a modified ground-based DF-21 missile
to destroy an old Chinese weather satellite.
In 2022, a Chinese satellite "grappled" a defunct Chinese satellite and towed it
to a "graveyard orbit."
Moreover, as Fisher notes, China had already configured its one large orbiting
platform, the Tiangong Space Station, for military missions as well as civilian
ones. One of its modules can launch either very small satellites that can
perform interception missions or satellites carrying powerful laser and
microwave weapons that can destroy satellites in multiple orbits.
What was the American response to the obvious Chinese advances in space-warfare
capabilities? Vice President Kamala Harris in April 2022 announced a unilateral
moratorium on ground-launched anti-satellite missile tests, in the hopes that
other nations would follow suit.
With this posture, it is no wonder why America's lead in space warfare—if it
exists—is narrowing.
Now, China is making fast progress in building space weapons. "The Chinese ISR"—intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance—"capabilities are become very capable," said
Guetlein. "They have gone from what we used to call a 'Kill Chain' to a 'Kill
Mesh.'" A Kill Mesh combines ISR satellites with an array of weapons systems.
The Chinese array appears impressive. As Fisher points out, the People's
Liberation Army has developed ground-based ASAT—anti-satellite—interceptors to
destroy satellites in both low earth orbit and much higher medium earth orbits.
At the same time, China, as Guetlein's comments make clear, is working on
"co-orbital" interceptors, satellites that can follow, approach, dock with, or
use robotic arms to grapple other satellites into useless orbits.
For the future, Fisher reports, China is developing large, unmanned space planes
that can re-enter the atmosphere to maneuver toward a new orbit and then
relaunch into space to deploy energy and missile weapons. The PLA also appears
to be working on large combat platforms that can attack satellite targets in
multiple orbits. Expect the Chinese military also to deploy clusters of combat
satellites to attack the Lunar and Martian satellite networks of the future.
"The recent demonstration of Chinese 'dogfighting' capabilities in space is an
indicator that Beijing means to use force on earth," says Weichert. "By
targeting sensitive U.S. military satellites, the People's Liberation Army can
render us deaf, dumb, and blind, long before it strikes."
The Chinese are evidently planning to blind not only America's military but also
America's civilian society, which is heavily dependent on space assets. Almost
nothing modern in America will work when the Chinese are finished attacking in
the heavens.
As Weichert said, "A space Pearl Harbor is at hand."
**Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America,
a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory
Board.
**Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Should The New Syrian Government's Celebration Of October 7
– With Calls For Jihad, Massive Suicide Attacks And Blood And Limbs In The
Streets – Prompt The World To Reexamine This New Regime?
Steven Stalinsky, Ph.D/Syria | MEMRI
Daily Brief No. 747/March 28, 2025
On October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas massacre in Israel, and in the month
that followed, senior political, military, and religious figures from the Syrian
jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) – the Al-Qaeda offshoot that would take
control of Syria in early December 2024 – came out in full support of the
attack. This support took the form of multiple declarations of jihad against
Israel, to include large-scale suicide attacks against it and its supporters and
"filthy Jews" around the world, and for the murder of Israeli leaders. HTS
officials said that the battle to destroy Israel should shed blood and sever
limbs, and referenced the Hadith about the gharqad tree, that according to a
Hadith will shield the Jews when the Muslims come to slaughter them on Judgment
Day.
After the HTS takeover of Syria, the group's leader, Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani,
reclaimed his given name, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, exchanged his military uniform for a
suit and tie, and appeared to swiftly and pragmatically adopt positions favored
by the West. At least, he spoke as if he had. But it is still to be seen whether
HTS's jihadi origins are buried in the past or will resurface to prevail over
more moderate approaches.
Since His Beginnings In HTS, MEMRI Has Monitored, Translated, And Analyzed Al-Joulani/Al-Sharaa's
Speeches And Statements
MEMRI's team of terrorism researchers has monitored, translated, and analyzed
statements and activity by Al-Joulani/Al-Sharaa since the emergence of HTS –
every major speech delivered, every video released, every proclamation
published. Since the group's rebranding of itself as the new Syrian government,
its administration representatives have met with senior U.S. diplomats and
British officials, the French, German, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Dutch, and
Greek foreign ministers, as well as EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib. They have
spoken by phone with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and received congratulations
from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Czech Republic has reopened its
embassy in Damascus, and Syrian Jews have even returned to visit and U.S. Jewish
groups have diverged from Israel in support for U.S. policy on the new Syria.
The position of the group's political, religious, and military leadership,
including that of Al-Sharaa himself, vis-à-vis October 7 provides important
insight into their true ideology that the West would do well to consider as they
hasten to develop ties. This leadership's commentary, social media posts, and
discourse on October 7 and in the weeks that followed are damning evidence of
this ideology.
HTS-Affiliated Officials: Every Muslim Must Carry Out Suicide Operations Against
Israelis Everywhere In The World; The Jews' "Blood Must Flow" And Their "Body
Parts Must Mix With [The Palestinians'] Body Parts"
On the day itself, several HTS-affiliated religious officials issued statements
in support of Hamas's actions. The most vocal, Egyptian-born HTS cleric Yahya
(Abu Al-Fath) Al-Farghali – who was at the time very close to Al-Joulani but has
been marginalized since the takeover – called, on his Telegram channel, for
suicide and other attacks, referencing jihad and martyrdom: "Oh Allah, grant
those who wage jihad for your sake in Gaza victory over Your enemy and theirs,
and give them a clear conquest... Guide them to Your straight path and to what
You love and are pleased with." Later that day, he added that despite Iranian
support for Hamas, Sunnis should nonetheless celebrate other Muslims' "[acts of]
worship and infliction of harm on Allah's enemies."
Ten days later, on October 17, Al-Farghali wrote that only "suicide operations"
would deter Israel and that every Muslim must undertake them against Israelis
anywhere in the world. On October 19, he wrote that the "quickest deterrence of
the massacres committed against Gaza" would be a large-scale campaign of
unrestrained martyrdom-seeking – i.e. suicide – operations so that the situation
"gets out of control," adding that the strategic liberation of Al-Aqsa and
Palestine would follow "the uprooting of Zionism's pegs in the region – that is,
the traitorous collaborationist rulers of the Muslim countries."
In a series of posts on Telegram on the day of the October 7 attack, the HTS-affiliated
Gaza-born jihadi cleric Al-Zubayr Al-Ghazzi celebrated the "liberation" of the
Israeli border communities, adding: "Were it not for the border that separates
us from you, we would be before you today, waging war together with you with
iron and fire." These mujahideen, he added, pray to be able to participate in
"liberating Palestine from the filth of the Jews." He reminded his followers
that all the "Jews in Palestine," soldiers and civilians alike, are combatants
according to shari'a and thus may be captured or killed, and called on all
Palestinians not in a militant factions to mobilize and "enter [Israel] to
purify the cities, rural areas, streets, and roads," heeding the call of
Muhammad Deif, commander of the Hamas military wing Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam
Brigades.
HTS chief religious official 'Abd Al-Rahim 'Atoun aka Abu 'Abdallah Al-Shami
posted, on October 8, a six-minute video of prominent Mauritanian cleric
Muhammad Al-Diddo. The post, hash-tagged #Al-Aqsa_Flood, quoted Al-Diddo as
saying: "The ummah must participate with blood and body parts in the defense of
Palestine... [Their] blood must flow together with the blood of the people of
our nation in Palestine, and [their] body parts must mix with [Palestinians']
body parts. The Islamic ummah must play a part in repelling the aggression and
defend the Palestinian nation."
HTS-Affiliated Syrian Salvation Government: The People Of Gaza "Have Humiliated
The Arrogance Of The Zionist Occupiers"; "We And Our Brethren In Gaza Are Waging
The Same War"; Reports Of October 7 Atrocities Were Fabricated By Israel
The Department of Political Affairs (DPA) in the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG),
an HTS-affiliated rebel governing body, published its Statement of Support for
the Palestinian People's Right to Regain its Land – 'Al-Aqsa Flood' on October
10. It congratulated Hamas and the Palestinian factions on their operation and
affirming the Palestinians' right to take over Israel, and declared that this
struggle inspires the Syrian mujahideen. "Sooner or later the occupier will
disappear," it said, as it called on Islamic religious bodies and scholars
worldwide to "defend and back our people in brave Palestine and support their
struggle and jihad." It concluded with expressions of "esteem and admiration to
the steadfast Palestinian people and battalions of the resistance, chiefly the
Martyr Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades," and asked Allah to "honor the Palestinian
and Syrian nation with victory and empowerment."
On October 13, the official news outlet of the SSG published photos of an "Al-Aqsa
Flood Friday" demonstration in the city of Idlib, where demonstrators, including
children, waved Syrian rebel flags and Palestinian flags, some with text on them
reading "Finally, it has become clear to us that the gharqad tree behind which
the Jews will hide [on Judgment Day when the Muslims come to slaughter the Jews]
is the Arab League."
The HTS media outlet Amjad published the group's first statement on the October
7 attack, by Al-Joulani. Addressing "our people in Gaza," it praised the Gazans'
steadfastness, heroism, and bravery, and the humiliating blow they had dealt to
the "occupying Zionists." After quoting Quran 2:214, "Do you think you will be
admitted into Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were
afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so [violently] shaken that the
Messenger and the believers with him cried out, 'When will Allah's help come?'
Indeed, Allah's help is near," it added: "You have waged war and astonished
[us], been tried and remained patient, so that Gaza has become a badge of honor
for those who stand with her and of shame for those who abandon her. With the
least means and weakest power, you humiliated the arrogance of the Zionist
occupiers. You had added to the history of the ummah [Islamic nation] lessons in
heroism and courage, bewildering your enemy and gladdening the hearts of the
oppressed."
An October 22 conference in Idlib, that was livestreamed on the X account of the
SSG media ministry was titled "From Idlib To Gaza – It Is The Same Injury." It
featured leading HTS religious officials Abd Al-Rahim Atoun aka Abu Abdallah Al-Shami
and Mazhar Al-Ways and other local religious figures; religious and media
figures from across the Arab and Islamic participated via Zoom. Mazhar Al-Ways
said during the event that "we and our brethren in Gaza are waging the same war"
and called for reviving "the culture of resistance and heroism among the Islamic
nation." He also called the reports on the slaughter and beheading of children
and civilians on October 7 lies fabricated by Israel about the mujahideen.
Chief HTS Religious Official: "Oh Allah, Attack The Jews And Those Allied With
Them... Kill Their Leaders... Curse Them And Humiliate Them, Bring Calamities On
Them... Make Gaza Their Graveyard"
Tunisian-born HTS religious official 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Idrisi wrote on his
Telegram channel on October 30 that the best aid the Arab nations could provide
for Gaza would be "uprooting" the "Jew-defending" Arab rulers. He later called
on the Islamic nations to assist Gaza by "breaking into the embassies of the
enemy and breaching the boundaries" and for Islamic jurists to abandon
speechwriting for the battlefield.
In another post on his Telegram channel, on October 30, Abu 'Abdallah Al-Shami
stated that due to its failures in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has nothing to
teach Israel, "America's pupil and foster child," and stressed that the
Palestinian mujahideen will humiliate Israel. In another post, he asked Allah to
defeat "the Jews and those allied with them." Earlier, on October 27, he had
written: "Oh Allah, attack the Jews and those allied with them... Lower their
flags, kill their leaders, defeat their crowds, disperse their unity, thwart
their efforts, foil their plans, make their actions fail, curse them and
humiliate them, bring calamities on them, take revenge against them, and make
Gaza their graveyard."
Skepticism About The New Syrian Regime Must Be Maintained
While Western leaders have lined up to shake hands with Al-Sharaa and his new
Syrian regime, Israel remains skeptical, and with good reason. It shares a
border with Syria; the administration comprises HTS that split off from Al-Qaeda
less than a decade ago; and there are still calls for attacks and jihad against
Israel. And elements of this administration have just massacred over 1,000
members of the Alawite minority in the country. Had Canada or Mexico been taken
over by an Al-Qaeda offshoot, the U.S. would never implicitly trust its word and
lower its guard. It's much easier to trust an administration whose members were
once loyal to a designated terror organization when it is not at your doorstep.
*Steven Stalinsky, Ph.D., is Executive Director of The Middle East Media
Research Institute.
Trump-Musk: Revolutionary Method, Restoration Plan
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
“Why is Donald Trump doing what he is doing?” This is the question raised by
European intelligentsia these days as they try to recover from the shock of the
American presidential election which they all believed would be won by the
Democrat champion Kamala Harris.
France’s currently fashionable TV philosopher Michel Onfray raises the question
in a number of programs as do op-ed writers in newspapers in London, Brussels
and Berlin and Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis.n The answer to the question may
be simple: Trump is doing what he is doing because he promised to do those
things and has a contract with the 78 million Americans who voted for him.
However, a simple answer won’t satisfy an intellectual caste that is used to
project prestige via convoluted concepts dished out in a jargon designed to
impress if not frighten the plebes. To find “a deeper answer” Onfray suggests
focusing on Elon Musk the current bete-noire of the literati and glitterati in
Parisian cafes. He portrays Musk as a man driven by greed who has managed to
sell Trump and his supporters a bundle of goods in the name of applying
high-tech to political reform.
Varoufakis casts Musk in the role of ringleader for an emerging oligarchy that
offers an American version of the autocratic oligarchies in China and Russia.
The ultimate goal of this new oligarchy is to privatize government, a concept
that is anathema to European intellectuals who regard the Hobbesian state as an
earthly version of divinity. To Americans, however, the Leviathan though
accepted as a necessity has always been regarded as a potential threat to
freedoms that their ancestors sought as they fled from European tyrannies.
Today, Trump-bashers in Europe might see his advent as a real version of what
London and Sinclair Lewis imagined with Musk as the alter-ego of the Great
Leader.
There is, however, a big difference. In London and Lewis, the hyper capitalists
tried to create a huge collectivist Leviathan that dictates every aspect of
life. Under such a state, sentiments and feelings would be abolished as the
Great Benefactor guarantees a synthetic happiness for all dished out through
algorithms designed to ensure equality. Such a state would also apply the
one-size-fits-all standard to other fields notably science, philosophy,
literature and art. However, the Trump-Musk project is aimed at reducing the
size of the Leviathan and preventing its use in the service of a one
size-fits-all ideology.
Unlike America where society was supposed to build and develop itself through
the free market and individual enterprise Europe, after a brief period during
the Victorian Era in England, the task of building and developing society was
entrusted to the state. It was the state that directly or indirectly built the
infrastructure of schools, universities, railways and highways, ports, standing
armies and merchant navies and set the tone for industry and commerce.
In many instances Europe had discovered the concepts of private enterprise and
free market before the US. In Britain such concepts played key roles in Adam
Smith’s work as the father of modern economics. In France, Guizot and Frederic
Bastiat had been early champions of similar ideas. But it was in the US that
those European prophets found their rue disciples. John D Rockefeller, another
despicable hyper-capitalist, once said “We don’t want a nation of philosophers,
just a nation of workers.”And it was George Bernard Shaw who quipped: “Those Who
Can Do; Those who can’t teach!”Originally the American university was designed
to teach young people how to think not what to think. During the era of
domination by politically correct elites the American university morphed into a
secular version of religious seminaries where only authorized thought was
allowed while every other thought was banned as apocryphal or subversive.
Herbert Spencer had warned that universities could become factories of
absolutist thought with the aim of paving the way for intellectual slavery.
Before him Hobbes had spoken of “universities becoming Trojan horses for enemies
who regard themselves as superior to infiltrate society” and kill the Leviathan
with a thousand cuts.
Thus, theoretically, the Trump-Musk “conspiracy” as Onfray calls it, is aimed at
removing restrictions imposed by politically correct gurus on thought and
expression and the Bowdlerization even of classical texts to atone for the
imaginary guilt of fathers and forefathers of an imaginary “white male majority”
thus imposing uniformity in the name of diversity. This conspiracy wants to put
the revolutionary method at the service of what might be seen as a restoration
with America reclaiming some of its forgotten values. Onfrey says Trump is
“nuts” and Musk is an opportunist. However, Trump has been wise enough to
understand what a majority of Americans want. As for Musk being an opportunist
is better than masquerading as an arriviste. Whether their restoration scheme
works or not remains to be seen. But to question its legitimacy is a sign of
sour grapes by European gurus who witness their politically correct world
crumbling around them.
Ocalan… A Farewell to Arms
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/2025
This headline alludes to works of literature to illustrate political realities,
beginning with Ernest Hemingway's “A Farewell to Arms” and up to the Kurdish
author Ronak Murad's famous novel about the history of the Kurdish struggle “The
Granddaughter of Ishtar.” The two novels' plots tie the themes of love, war, and
their aftermath together- stretching from the Italian frontlines and the horrors
of World War I to Rojava, the Qandil Mountains, Kunduz, and the vast Kurdish
territories that have witnessed many setbacks and few moments of joy, as well as
a struggle for lofty aspirations that inevitably collide with stronger
geopolitical realities. Abdullah Ocalan is the last of the great Kurdish
dreamers. He has shown extraordinary courage in his long struggle, which he
began as a guerrilla fighter operating in the mountains and trying to obtain
everything for his people through armed resistance. Now Türkiye's most famous
political prisoner, his time in jail has left a mark on his views, leading him
to make pragmatic reassessments that eventually compelled him to call for ending
the armed struggle, and ultimately, to advocate reconciliation. Instead, he is
now urging the Kurds to come to terms with the geography they inhabit, as he now
believes that this is a more viable means to survive and safeguard their
identity.
The leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is replicating in Türkiye what
Jalal Talabani and Masoud Barzani had done in Iraq, insisting on integration
despite his community's bitter history with the central government or the
repercussions of the independence referendum. Indeed, they nonetheless succeeded
in realizing some of the Kurdish peoples' aspirations, cooperating with the
Iraqi state on a national framework that allows for partnership and equal rights
and responsibilities. This is what Ocalan wants to do in Türkiye- a pursuit that
Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou had paid with his life in Iran.
From Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
and before them, the pair who broke the taboo, the late Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani and the late Turkish President Turgut Ozal, the Kurdish question in
Türkiye, Iraq, and Syria has been reassessed. It is now being seen through a
different, more pragmatic lens. This shift was not precipitated by the weakening
or confusion of the central authorities in Ankara, Baghdad, or Damascus, nor was
it the result of the unbearable costs of conflict for the Kurdish people.
Rather, political consciousness has matured, albeit gradually or belatedly. The
Kurds now recognize that waging a political struggle, preserving their identity
and heritage, and imposition of recognition are just as vital as armed
resistance, which has become increasingly ineffective. Maintaining arms for
their own sake brings nothing but bloodshed, and it is neither valuable nor
tenable to equate the Kurdish cause with armed struggle. Political taboos are
broken in watershed moments. The first was on Friday, June 14, 1991, when
Turkish Ozal welcomed an armed Kurdish leader into the presidential palace for
the first time in his country's history. The journalist and renowned Turkish
writer Cengiz Candar, who organized the meeting, shares an anecdote of a
conservation he had had with Ozal at the time, in his Mesopotamian Express. “It
will change. The situation of the Kurds in Türkiye will not be the same. It will
change. But they must be realistic. This shift will take time. It will be
achieved step by step, but it is worth it. They must see it as a matter of time;
it will be resolved gradually.”
The second defining moment came on February 27 of this year, when Ocalan called
on Kurdish militants in Türkiye to lay down their arms, dissolve the party, and
pursue their objectives through political means. His stance was solidified by a
historic agreement between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on
March 10. The SDF will integrate into Syria's military and security
institutions, while the Kurdish community has been recognized as an integral
component of Syria. Kurdish leaders managed to break the link between their
cause and armed struggle, leveraging their history of resistance to secure their
rights and defend their identity. They have demonstrated a determination to end
their captivity to arms and their consequences, refusing to let their arsenal
become a source of internal or regional conflict.
This approach is a lesson that other groups in the region must learn. They all
need to disentangle arms from ideology, relinquish the monopoly of arms, and
stop prioritizing it over all other forms of resistance- from the mountains of
Kurdistan to Jabal Amel, passing through occupied Palestine.
Question: “What does it mean that the Sabbath was made for
man and not man for the Sabbath?”
GotQuestions.org//March 28/2025
Answer: In Mark 2:27 Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the
Sabbath.” This statement was in response to the accusation that His disciples
were breaking the law regarding resting on the Sabbath when they walked by some
fields and plucked heads of grain (see Mark 2:23–28; also Matthew 12:1–8; Luke
6:1–5).
When the Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples, Jesus referred them to an example
from the Old Testament. David was once in need of food and was given consecrated
bread that was, technically, only lawful for the priests to eat (1 Samuel
21:1–6). The holy bread had served a practical need of God’s anointed (David)
and his followers, just as, in Jesus’ day, the grain served a practical need for
God’s anointed (Jesus) and His followers.
David and his men had not acted sinfully in eating the showbread, and neither
were Jesus’ disciples acting sinfully in picking heads of grain on the Sabbath.
Jesus concludes, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the
Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27–28). His response to the
accusing Pharisees contains two important teachings.
First, the Sabbath was intended to help people, not burden them. In contrast
with the grueling daily work as slaves in Egypt, the Israelites were commanded
to take a full day of rest each week under the Mosaic Law. Pharisaical law had
morphed the Sabbath into a burden, adding restrictions beyond what God’s law
said. The act of picking a head of grain and munching on it as one walked along
a field should not be considered “harvesting,” as the Pharisees tried to
categorize it. The disciples had not broken God’s law; they had only violated
the Pharisees’ strict interpretation of the law. Jesus reminded the Pharisees of
the original intent of the Sabbath rest.
Jesus gives a similar reminder in Mark 3:1–6 (also Matthew 12:9–14; Luke 6:6–11)
when He heals a man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were looking to accuse Jesus
and closely watched His response to a man with a shriveled hand. “Jesus asked
them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or
to kill?’ But they remained silent” (Mark 3:4). The Sabbath was not intended to
burden people but to ease their burden. For someone to forbid acts of mercy and
goodness on God’s day of rest is contrary to all that is right. Jesus, the Lord
of the Sabbath, did what was right and healed the man, and that’s when the
Pharisees began to plot with the Herodians to kill Jesus.
Second, Jesus is Lord even of the Sabbath. What does this mean? Another way to
express the idea is to say Jesus is in charge of the Sabbath. He is God in human
form, and He created the Sabbath day. As the One who wrote the law, Jesus
certainly has oversight over how the law is to be enforced. The Pharisees had
lifted their own rules to the level of God’s, placing onerous burdens on people,
and they ended up rebuking the Lawgiver Himself.
Jesus is also the Lord of the Sabbath in that the Sabbath pointed to the rest
Jesus provides. Jesus became our rest when He did all the work necessary for our
salvation (Hebrews 4). He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).
“Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for
everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). We rest, spiritually, in Him; He has
secured our eternal blessing.
As believers, set free in Christ, we are not judged by whether or not we keep
the Sabbath day (Colossians 2:16). Instead, we follow the Lord of the Sabbath,
Jesus Christ. We find our rest in Him, and seven days a week are filled with
worship of Him.